


Suits

by sugacookiies



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Blood, Death, Fluff, Gambling, Gen, Kidnapping, Reader-Interactive, Violence, Yakuza AU, etc - Freeform, gender neutral reader, interactive fanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:15:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 84
Words: 38,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26853556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugacookiies/pseuds/sugacookiies
Summary: ☆*:.｡. Le Casino De Chat is about to open its doors very soon. Are you ready? Remember, each choice will determine your fate. Can you make it to the end without suffering the consequences?.｡.:*☆Steel yourself to face Kuroo Tetsurou, who struggles to express his affections; Oikawa Tooru, a strange man who heads an even stranger business; and Ushijima Wakatoshi, yearning for a deeper relationship with someone he loves.(Reupload)
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Reader, Oikawa Tooru/Reader, Ushijima Wakatoshi/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Foreword and Guidelines

**Author's Note:**

> Whew. That’s what I mostly have to say about this series, hahaha.
> 
> It has been about 3 months since I first began the idea of Suits (previously called ‘One Night’s Choice’), when I was toying with the thought of Mafia!AU Kuroo.
> 
> This series has taken me 3 months, a lot of thinking, a lot of effort, and a lot of crying to write - yet I’m not even done with it. But I’m proud of myself for pushing through thus far to end up with some readable pieces. It’s definitely the piece that I’ve put the most time and effort into so far.
> 
> It has been a wild journey to write this. As for Bokuto and Daichi, I’m not sure if I’ll ever finish them up. If I ever get the inspiration to in the future, I might do so! :-)
> 
> I hope that everyone has enjoyed reading this, I do hope to produce more interactive fics in the future (though on a smaller scale).
> 
> Thank you to everyone who made this effort possible - Raph, Nish, Taa, Z, Sabs, xuyue, JJ, Lyra, Risa, and Laki. This series wouldn’t have existed without your help!
> 
> Thank you for reading Suits! Till next time :-)
> 
> Love, Xin

☆*:.｡.We welcome you to Casino de Chat. Before proceeding, please read through all of this.｡.:*☆

♢*:.｡.𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬.｡.:*♢

[ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 ]  
♢ @sugacookiies

[ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 ]  
♢ Raph

♢ @super-haikyuu-hotline

♢ @bearri-main

♢ @pixxiesdust

[ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫 ]  
♢ @iwaqchan

[ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 ]  
♢ @pyblos

♢ @strawbericream

♢ @urmylakistar

[ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 ]  
♢ @/xuyue’s interactive Akaashi fic

♢ Thinking about Kuroo in a suit

♢ @kunimwuah encouraging me along when this series was in its introductory stages

♧*:.｡.𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬.｡.:*♧

♧ Please do not repost this work anywhere else. All writing, plot, ideas, and/or other material in this series belongs to [@sugacookiies](https://tmblr.co/mn2NqqtRVUGdXSGAKNFjLYw) and my team of alpha and beta readers, and graphic personnel.

♤ A guide to all of the routes can be found [**here**](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fspreadsheets%2Fd%2F1Sj1TPYgZ34L0g6mxHBKsGBy7YT66RB3conAn8j5dJuU%2Fedit%3Fusp%3Dsharing&t=MTcyMjUwZmYxNTI5NWMxN2UxZTQ0ZGJlN2Y3NmQxZDc4MWU4NzRmZCxVUjZaNFBaNw%3D%3D&b=t%3AJ6vyEQ1UZwuHIs7C0LGDqQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fsugacookiies.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F630397851034353664%2Fsuits&m=1&ts=1601969052) (although, it is recommended that you try the series out without the guide). Please do not leak the routes once the casino is opened to give other readers the choice of figuring the routes out by themselves. There are 5 choices per route, 1 of which is a neutral choice.

♧ This series contains themes such as violence, blood, alcohol, implied prostitution, kidnapping, etc. Please do not proceed if you are triggered by such topics. This series has a gender neutral reader.


	2. The Invitation

Sweat trickled down your nape in translucent beads as the summer heat raged on. You were on a short break from your company after a huge project that thankfully succeeded past everyone’s expectations. As a result, your team had been granted a month or so off from work.

You groaned as you lounged on your sofa, flicking through TV channels. What were you to do for the time being? A cartoon character jumped around with a bunch of children on the screen, singing an obnoxiously annoying song before you changed the channel once more.

Nothing interesting, as usual. Television seemed to have gotten more boring lately. Switching off the TV, you got up and waddled over to your kitchen. It probably was time to finally do some grocery shopping, considering how empty your fridge was when you opened it.

Clad in shorts and a thin shirt for the raging heat outside, you tugged on a cap and headed for the supermarket near your home. However, something stuck out of your letterbox’s flap. It seemed to be an edge of an envelope.

It was thick and jet black, having a wax seal on the back that prevented the letter within from slipping out. What could it be? Confused, you cracked open the seal and pulled out the printed letter.

> _**WE WELCOME YOU TO THE  
>  GRAND OPENING OF  
> LE CASINO DE CHAT  
> MONDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER  
> DOORS OPEN AT 9PM** _

The letter is signed off with a stamp of a cat at the bottom, the tail forming a circle border around its body. You flip the paper around and spot a little scribble at the bottom.

> _**Hope to see you there :) The password is ‘royalflush’ - Kuroo** _

Your heart nearly stopped when you recognised the familiar chicken scratch, and name of your childhood friend. Kuroo Tetsurou. Why was he running a casino, and more importantly, why had he finally reached out to you after all these years?

You swallowed back the lump in your throat. There was no harm going to see an old acquaintance, right?

ヾ☆*。 

The opening night of the casino came quicker than you expected. You weren’t sure whether it was because of all the pacing you had done around your apartment while in thought, or the horrendous sleeping habits you seemed to have adopted. Either ways, you somehow found yourself standing in a queue to enter the already bustling casino.

Envelope clutched in your hands, you inched along the line before you eventually came to see two security guards at the doors. They were both clad in fitted red suits and had their hair neatly done up. However, the most jarring difference was their height. You couldn’t help but swallow as you glanced between the towering giant and the much smaller pipsqueak.

“Hi! Could I see some ID please?”

“Lev, you don’t need to ask for ID when they have an invite. How many times do I need to repeat myself?”

The exasperated sigh from the shorter guard made you fiddle with the envelope awkwardly as they bickered back and forth for another few seconds. It ended with a sharp blow to Lev’s back, before the other male turned back to you. Embroidered upon his breast pocket were four letters, spelling out ‘Yaku’.

“Can I see your invite, please?”

You thrusted the envelope forward and his eyes scanned over the letter quickly.

“And the password?”

“R-royal flush?” You scratched your cheek, embarrassed as you mumbled out the words that had been scribbled behind the invite.

Yaku nodded and unhooked the stanchion, gesturing for you to enter.

“See you soon! Have fun! Tell Kenma I said hi- Oof!”

Lev waved excitedly as he handed you the invitation back. He was subsequently pinched in the side by Yaku, and the gangly man was forced back into checking IDs and invites. You turned to face the casino that stood before you.

Chatter filled the room in giggles and laughter, making you giddy as you took slow steps through the centre aisle. Roulette tables, poker tables, and slot machines exuded the gasps of patrons and jingly music of fake coins being tossed about. A lush carpet was soft under your feet and there was a band in a corner playing some sort of excitable tune.

First things first, a drink was in check. You waltzed over to the bar which was near the band’s stage. You peeked over the shoulders of impeccably dressed elites and some other common people, all having the time of their lives betting money at the expense of a night’s thrill. The spin of roulettes gradually faded out of earshot as you approached the counter and a rather nervous looking blond stood there, wiping a glass.

His cat-like eyes zoned in on you as he put the glass down. He was similarly dressed in formal wear, and his hair was pulled back into a half-up bun.

“Good evening.”

Kenma’s voice was quiet as you sauntered up to the bar counter. Sliding into one of the seats, you scrutinised the simple menu before you.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but what was your password for entering the casino?”

You glanced up at his question. Was this some kind of test to make sure you hadn’t cheated your way in?

“Royal flush,” you said, a little more confident this time. A small smile curved Kenma’s lips into an eerie grin.

“Could I interest you in coming to the casino’s special room with me?”

You weren’t going to lie - the bartender sounded extremely creepy at that moment. His abnormally narrow pupils seemed to be drinking in your every expression and move, tracking you as if you were his prey. Goosebumps prickled your skin. Should you trust him and possibly get kidnapped (was that what special rooms were for?), or play it safe?

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚 ] - 𝐂𝐡. 𝟑

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐫 ] - 𝐂𝐡. 𝟒


	3. You Follow Kenma

“Uh, sure, I guess.”

Your mind returned to Kuroo’s name at the bottom of the letter. Maybe that would be where you were going to meet him? Well, or so you hoped, and you prayed that you wouldn’t end up in a foreign dumpster, as Kenma left the bar counter.

He gestured for you to follow him as he slipped behind a curtain near the stage. You got off the bar chair, casting a quick look around before following him. Kenma held open a door for you and you carefully stepped in. The corridor was short, and you heard muffled music through the wall, while a few doors were to your left and right. They probably lead to backstage rooms or a toilet.

However, a lone door stood at the end of the narrow hall. The handle was a gilded tail while the lock itself was an image of a sitting cat. Kenma squeezed himself in front of you. His fingers rapped a rhythm against the door’s surface before he pushed the handle down and let you in.

You swallowed as your eyes fell upon the room’s interior. It wasn’t very big, but comfortable enough to host the poker table and few people that sat around it. As the door opened, five pairs of eyes zoned in on your figure.

The room was lit up by a vintage chandelier above the table, LED lights covered by glass for a more modern and practical setting. A similar maroon carpet was under your feet. Green and gold damask wallpaper covered the walls from top to bottom, while a single liquor cabinet stood by the side. 

All was silent as you looked from one face to another. Your heart beat couldn’t help but quicken as you felt their gazes burning into you. Each male wore a different coloured suit, while one familiar face had his jacket slung over the edge of his chair. His eyes widened slightly, the whiskey in his glass swirling to a halt as he was stunned for a few seconds.

“Oya? What do we have here?”

Kuroo grinned and he got up, long legs easily crossing the distance between the both of you.

“Eh? Kuroo? You invited someone else? Wait, no, I can’t handle this! How can you give up on me?”

A man with white and black dyed hair jumped up from his seat with an outraged cry.

“Bokuto, if you hadn’t already noticed the empty chair here, I’m not quite sure what to make of your intelligence.”

In response to his childishness, a pretty looking male replied with a coy grin. He held a colourful cocktail in one hand.

“Hey! Shut up! I won the last round of poker!”

“Did not.”

Had you ever seen a grown person puff out his cheeks and pout before? Well, you did at that moment, as Bokuto had his feathers ruffled by a certain brunette.

“Did!”

“Did not.”

Bokuto whined as he was teased. Your attention was quickly recaptured by the towering Kuroo in front of you.

“You actually came.”

His voice was a quiet breath and the door clicked shut behind you. You let your tongue snake out and lick your parched lips.

“Of course I did.”

You huffed in response, averting your eyes from his piercing stare. Kuroo laughed quietly and he took a sip of his whiskey, turning back around to face the room.

“Now, shall we get on to introductions?”

Once more, you looked at the men before you, gaze flitting from each face to another.

“I’m Bokuto!! And you’re not gonna take away the friendship between me and Kuroo.”

Aside from his wild appearance, his clothes were surprisingly normal. He wore a gaudy gold and black ensemble that did have a few creases, and his top few buttons were undone, exposing the dips of a strong chest. 

“Bro, you know you’re the only one for me,” Kuroo replied, a sincere look on his face as he placed a single hand upon his chest, as if pledging allegiance to Bokuto.

“Bro!”

“Brooo.”

“Brooooooo-”

You awkwardly stood there as both of them finger gunned at each other, exchanging increasingly drawn-out ‘bro’s. At least Kuroo had found a friend. For better or for worse, that was yet to be decided.

“Hey, I’m Sawamura, but you can just call me Daichi.”

This one seemed the most normal out of the bunch. His hair was cropped neat and short, while the warm smile on his face seemed inviting. You clasped the hand he had offered and shook it firmly. He took a once over of you from head to toe, before turning back to tell Kuroo and Bokuto to ‘quit it in front of the guest.’

Skipping the empty middle chair, an imposing male stared at you with an intensity that made you start to sweat, despite the air conditioning that kept the room cool.

“Ushijima Wakatoshi,” he said slowly, voice rumbling from his chest. 

You couldn’t find words to reply to his statement, so you merely nodded with a mumbled ‘hello’. The rich purple cloth that his garments were made in was more than fitting for the mere dominance that reeked off of him.

“Hi hi! I’m Oikawa Tooru, nice to meet you!”

The brunette who had been teasing Bokuto earlier winked at you, half his tongue sticking out from his mouth. What was he, some sort of flirty teenage boy? Awkwardly, you gave him a small wave. 

“Well, shall we begin? A casino isn’t a casino without some stakes at hand.”

Kuroo settled into his seat on the dealer’s side of the table. His eyes peered from beneath his fringe, as if beckoning you to sit down with his gaze alone. You gingerly pulled out the chair in the middle and settled into the plush cushioning. A few games wouldn’t hurt. Then again, you had never met these people in your lives. How good were they? You hadn’t played much poker yourself, and in the face of the supposed casino owner, you felt rather unconfident.

Kuroo set his whiskey glass down and pulled out a deck of cards. On the back of each card were similar cat motifs, just like the stamp on your letter. His fingers flew deftly as he shuffled the deck with practised ease.

“Let’s go for an easy round of poker, hm? Oikawa, you’re first for the big blind. And, here you go. On the house, for my lovely friend.”

You watched as Kuroo took a pause from shuffling the cards to scoop up a bunch of chips, depositing them in front of you. Reaching forward, you quietly stacked the ceramic chips upon each other and formed a decent tower. They were all labelled as $50. Well, it was a special table - you would have expected the bets to be bigger here.

Oikawa pushed two chips out of his own stack and hummed a quiet tune as Kuroo began to distribute the cards. The room fell silent as the game began. You slid your cards and turned them up to take a peek, careful to not let Daichi or Ushijima see your hand. 

A four of diamonds and hearts. A pair in the first round wasn’t bad at all.

Rounds of betting went around the table and the community cards lay open on the surface, staring at you with their freshly printed faces. Oikawa grumbled as he folded, revealing that he had a high card. You couldn’t help but feel a little pity. He had been the one to put in the big blind, after all, and he had essentially lost a $100 or so already.

The game quickly progressed and soon, you had a rather large pot awaiting you eagerly. However, the last community card was a nine of clubs. There were two nines and a queen and jack out on the table too. Should you risk it with your three of a kind, or fold first? Not that the money belonged to you, anyways, but you felt bad if you made a bad choice and lost a couple hundred from Kuroo’s own pocket.

There was a fair chance that the other three players had ten, the last nine, a king or an ace, which would easily give them a way better hand than yours. You chewed on your lower lip nervously, contemplating what to do.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐝 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔


	4. You Stay At The Bar

You shook your head. Better to play it safe than sorry in an unfamiliar place, and you were alone as well. Maybe Kuroo would come out and find you sometime after? Kenma gave you a curt nod in return, his smile disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. 

“May I interest you in a drink, then?”

After looking at the menu once more, you ordered one that appealed to you. You looked at the band while Kenma prepared your drink. A jazzy melody was being played and you tapped your toes to the rhythm of the alluring beat. The casino was well thought out and planned, with entertainment for patrons even when they weren’t playing.

“Here you go. That will be $12.99, please.”

You slid your credit card over and you took a good look at the cocktail glass before you. It had wisps of dry ice smoking off the surface, and you gingerly picked it up to give it a sip. The alcohol burned leisurely down the back of your throat as its flavours warmed your chest.

You took your time to finish this first drink. Your second round was something stronger, and you then opted to wander around the casino. Playing a few lazy hands of poker and black jack, you somehow managed to gather enough earnings to cover the cost of a third drink.

Where was Kuroo?

He had invited you all the way out here, and he didn’t have the slightest courtesy to even greet his guest? What a way to treat an old friend that he had not seen for years! Huffing, you nursed your glass silently as Kenma pretended not to notice you. He moved around the bar with frightening ease, taking orders with a slight incline of his head and finishing them off efficiently.

You itched to ask Kenma if he knew where Kuroo was, or even knew who he was in the first place.

You watched the blonde bartender for a while longer before deciding against it. If Kuroo really had the intention to reconnect, you had given him the chance of a few hours to find you. You downed the last watery sips of your glass and got up.

“Lev said hi,” you told Kenma. 

He scowled, quickly picking up your empty glass. You couldn’t help but chuckle a little drily to yourself. What a weird friend, you thought, as you left the casino that night, without a single glimpse of Kuroo.

The alcohol made your head buzz pleasantly as you got into the back of a cab, mumbling off your address as you tried not to doze off in the back seat.

The last thing you thought of before falling asleep that night was Kuroo Tetsurou, his dark hair an uncombed mess, and a muddy volleyball in his grubby hands.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒  



	5. You Call

“Call,” you said as you picked up two chips, matching Ushijima’s bet. 

Kuroo’s lips twitched into what could only be a sly grin. Daichi paused before folding, but Bokuto called too. At the dealer’s signal, the three of you revealed your cards. Your heart was in your throat as you eagerly looked at the hands the two males had.

“Well, congratulations.”

Something like pride tickled your cheeks into a gummy smile and Kuroo pushed the pile of chips towards you. It was a pretty hefty win, considering how reckless Oikawa had gotten with his raises. Ushijima had narrowly lost with a two pair, and you had no clue why Bokuto had continued to bet although he only had an ace as his high card.

“You were a worthy opponent,” Ushijima murmured next to you. 

You weren’t quite sure how to take it, but you smiled and thanked him in return with a small nod. He had good sportsmanship, at least, unlike Bokuto.

“Hey! No fair! I want a rematch!”

He had jumped out of his seat and pointed an accusing finger at you. You blinked owlishly. Daichi chortled at the both of you as he helped gather the cards and returned them to Kuroo.

“Yeah! That was cheating!”

Oikawa seemed to be quite the grumpy loser as well and he supported Bokuto in his childish afflictions against you and your pot. You glanced back at the mountain of chips before you.

“I did not cheat. You all saw Kuroo deal the cards, fair and square.”

You stuck your nose up in the air haughtily to combat the two rowdy men. This time, Kuroo and Daichi began to laugh even harder. You couldn’t stop the smile that reached your ears at the look of dismay Bokuto and Oikawa had on their faces. However, all it took was a stern glare from Ushijima to set them back in their seats.

“You should know better than to behave like this.”

He took a sip of his drink that had been sweating on a coaster. The rest of them stiffened in the room. You tilted your head slightly in confusion. What did he mean?

“Hey Waka Waka, relax! It’s just a game.”

Oikawa gave Ushijima a friendly shoulder slap, the tension in the room finally breaking. 

“Let’s go for another round, hm? I’ll put my usual bet for you on the table.”

Kuroo pulled a disgusted face as Oikawa stuck his tongue out between two fingers, waggling the muscle about obscenely.

“I don’t want anything to do with your dirty business-”

“H-how about another round?” you squeaked, face heating up as you realised what Oikawa had meant. 

Hold on, were those two in a relationship? No way, were all of them in a relationship? Your mind began to run wild and you licked your lips nervously.

“Another round sounds good,” Kuroo solemnly said, before beginning to deal the cards again.

ヾ☆*。

You weren’t sure how many rounds you had played by the end of the night, but your tiny heap of chips had been halved soon enough by the number of times you had lost. You found yourself a little more comfortable with the other men that surrounded the table. You had yet to gather a moment to chat with Kuroo privately, but all was forgotten as you cast a glance at your phone.

The lit up screen showed that it was 4.38am. You gasped, a hand flying to your mouth. Daichi looked over in obvious concern.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, um, it’s just a little late, I think I should get going soon.”

As much as you wanted to stay, you were suddenly aware of how much you missed your bed. The smell of cigarettes and alcohol faintly clouded the room. Most of them had taken their suit jackets off and rolled up their sleeves, except Ushijima, who still sat as still as a stone.

“Thank you for tonight, everyone. I suppose this is where everything comes to a close. Don’t forget to cash in your chips at the counter,” Kuroo hummed. 

He gathered up the loose cards, making sure they were all neatly stacked before sliding them away.

“You’ll come play with us again, right, sweetheart?”

The sickeningly sweet voice of Oikawa made you cringe. You turned around, displeasure more than apparent on your face. Another round of giggly laughter filled the room.

“What? Not into pet names? Or would you prefer-”

“Yes, yes. I’ll come visit again sometime.”

Rolling your eyes, you turned your attention back to scooping your chips up. The nerve of that man! Silently, a lump of something purple came into your peripheral vision. Ushijima was handing you a lovely velvet drawstring bag. Stunned, you stared at it for a few seconds.

“For your chips,” he explained quietly and you took it from him. 

Your fingers brushed against his slightly as the material fell limp against your palm. The inside was silk of a matching colour and slippery to the touch.

“Thank you, Ushijima.”

He nodded in reply to your smile. You dumped all of your chips into the bag carefully, pulling on the golden strings at each end to close it up.

“Hey! You and me, we should really go out and figure how to beat Kuroo at poker for once. He never plays because it’s just not fair, especially when it’s mahjong or something! I swear, its rigged in his favour because he’s the boss-”

Bokuto’s sudden outburst made you jump in your seat. 

“Really? Bro, are you suspecting me of being so devious?”

Kuroo feigned hurt, holding his chest with a pained expression on his face.

“Bro, you’re just too good!”

“Bro, no, you’re the best.”

You chose to ignore the two ‘bro’s for now. Daichi smiled sympathetically at you, helping you out of your chair. 

“Do you need an escort home?”

His words made your heart jump a little in your chest, making you blink a few times in embarrassment.

“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll catch a cab.”

“If you ever need a ride somewhere, just let me know.”

A black business card was slotted into your empty palm. There was his name printed in orange, as well as what you assumed to be his phone number. A motif of a crow was on the other side.

“T-thank you. I hope to see all of you again soon.”

You offered a final wave to the group, who all said their goodbyes in varying degrees of excitement. You couldn’t stop the tiny smile that tugged at your lips when you strode down the short corridor once more. Music began to fill your ears once more as you opened the door.

Walking past the curtains, you saw that the casino was no less busy than when you had first entered. What a strange place. With a not-so-secret room filled with suspicious men, and bartenders who seemed to know more than they let on - what was Kuroo really doing here?

You left your questions to be answered another day. Swinging the purple bag in time with your steps, you trekked back to the counter before you would be able to head home.

Would it be wise to get entangled even further in this business?

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐓𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐨 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕


	6. You Fold

“Fold.”

You sighed, placing your cards face up.. Kuroo’s lips twitched into what could only be a sly grin. Daichi paused before folding, but Bokuto called. At the dealer’s signal, Bokuto and Ushijima revealed their cards. Your heart was in your throat as you eagerly looked at the hands the two males had.

“Well, congratulations.”

Your heart dropped. Kuroo pushed the pile of chips towards Ushijima. It was a pretty hefty win, considering how reckless Oikawa had gotten with his raises. Damn it, you had nearly won! Ushijima only had a single pair - if only you pulled through. However, you had no clue why Bokuto had continued to bet although he only had an ace as his high card.

“You were a worthy opponent,” Ushijima murmured next to you. 

You weren’t quite sure how to take it, but you smiled and thanked him in return with a small nod. He had good sportsmanship, at least, unlike Bokuto.

“Hey! No fair! I want a rematch!”

He had jumped out of his seat and pointed an accusing finger at Ushijima. You blinked owlishly. Daichi chortled as he helped gather the cards and returned them to Kuroo.

“Yeah! That was cheating!”

Oikawa seemed to be quite the grumpy loser as well and he supported Bokuto in his childish afflictions against Ushijima and his pot. You glanced back at the mountain of chips before him.

“Ushijima did not cheat. You all saw Kuroo deal the cards, fair and square.”

You stuck your nose up in the air haughtily to combat the two rowdy men. This time, Kuroo and Daichi began to laugh even harder. You couldn’t stop the smile that reached your ears at the look of dismay Bokuto and Oikawa had on their faces. However, all it took was a stern glare from Ushijima to set them back in their seats.

“You should know better than to behave like this.”

He took a sip of his drink that had been sweating on a coaster. The rest of them stiffened in the room. You tilted your head slightly in confusion. What did he mean?

“Hey Waka Waka, relax! It’s just a game.”

Oikawa gave Ushijima a friendly shoulder slap, the tension in the room finally breaking. 

“Let’s go for another round, hm? I’ll put my usual bet for you on the table.”

Kuroo pulled a disgusted face as Oikawa stuck his tongue out between two fingers, waggling the muscle about obscenely.

“I don’t want anything to do with your dirty business-”

“H-how about another round?” you squeaked, face heating up as you realised what Oikawa had meant. 

Hold on, were those two in a relationship? No way, were all of them in a relationship? Your mind began to run wild and you licked your lips nervously.

“Another round sounds good.”

Kuroo solemnly said, before beginning to deal the cards again.

ヾ☆*。

You weren’t sure how many rounds you had played by the end of the night, but your tiny heap of chips had grown and shrunk soon enough by the number of times you had lost. You found yourself a little more comfortable with the other men that surrounded the table. You were yet to gather a moment to chat with Kuroo privately, but all was forgotten as you cast a glance at your phone.

The lit up screen showed that it was 4.38am. You gasped, a hand flying to your mouth. Daichi looked over in obvious concern.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, um, it’s just a little late, I think I should get going soon.”

As much as you wanted to stay, you were suddenly aware of how much you missed your bed. The smell of cigarettes and alcohol faintly clouded the room. Most of them had taken their suit jackets off and rolled up their sleeves, except Ushijima, who still sat as still as a stone.

“Thank you for tonight, everyone. I suppose this is where everything comes to a close. Don’t forget to cash in your chips at the counter,” Kuroo hummed. 

He gathered up the loose cards, making sure they were all neatly stacked before sliding them away.

“You’ll come play with us again, right, sweetheart?”

The sickeningly sweet voice of Oikawa made you cringe. You turned around, displeasure more than apparent on your face. Another round of giggly laughter filled the room.

“What? Not into pet names? Or would you prefer-”

“Yes, yes. I’ll come visit again sometime.”

Rolling your eyes, you turned your attention back to scooping your chips up. The nerve of that man! Silently, a lump of something purple came into your peripheral vision. Ushijima was handing you a lovely velvet drawstring bag. Stunned, you stared at it for a few seconds.

“For your chips,” he explained quietly and you took it from him. 

Your fingers brushed against his slightly as the material fell limp against your palm. The inside was silk of a matching colour and slippery to the touch.

“Thank you, Ushijima.”

He nodded in reply to your smile. You dumped all of your chips into the bag carefully, pulling on the golden strings at each end to close it up.

“Hey! You and me, we should really go out and figure how to beat Kuroo at poker for once. He never plays because it’s just not fair, especially when it’s mahjong or something! I swear, its rigged in his favour because he’s the boss-”

Bokuto’s sudden outburst made you jump in your seat. 

“Really? Bro, are you suspecting me of being so devious?”

Kuroo feigned hurt, holding his chest with a pained expression on his face.

“Bro, you’re just too good!”

“Bro, no, you’re the best.”

You chose to ignore the two ‘bro’s for now. Daichi smiled sympathetically at you, helping you out of your chair. 

“Do you need an escort home?”

His words made your heart jump a little in your chest, making you blink a few times in embarrassment.

“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll catch a cab.”

“If you ever need a ride somewhere, just let me know.”

A black business card was slotted into your empty palm. There was his name printed in orange, as well as what you assumed to be his phone number. A motif of a crow was on the other side.

“T-thank you. I hope to see all of you again soon.”

You offered a final wave to the group, who all said their goodbyes in varying degrees of excitement. You couldn’t stop the tiny smile that tugged at your lips when you strode down the short corridor once more. Music began to fill your ears once more as you opened the door.

Walking past the curtains, you saw that the casino was no less busy than when you had first entered. What a strange place. With a not-so-secret room filled with suspicious men, and bartenders who seemed to know more than they let on - what was Kuroo really doing here?

You left your questions to be answered another day. Swinging the purple bag in time with your steps, you trekked back to the counter before you would be able to head home.

Would it be wise to get entangled even further in this business?

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐓𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐨 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟏𝟔


	7. You Return To The Casino

The next morning, you nursed a sore headache as you woke from bed at an ungodly hour. What time was it? You only picked up your phone after another half hour of rolling around and groaning. It was late in the afternoon, nearing 5pm already. Your stomach growled in wild protest.

You had no choice but to struggle up and get something to eat, despite all that you wanted to do was to remain curled up underneath your soft blankets. Curse casinos and how that whole lot had made you stay till 4 in the morning! Yawning, you pushed your spatula lazily at some scrambled eggs.

You spent the rest of the day lolling about your home, doing some simple chores, but mostly just watching whatever that was on television. You only got up when it was near time for you to leave and head to the casino once more.

What drew you back there?

That thought was to be answered another time. Brushing back your hair like you were trying to rid yourself of unnecessary rumination, you fell silent before the mirror.

What were you to wear? Standing before your closet and a hand on your hip, you surveyed your options. Eventually, you picked out an ensemble in…

[ 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐥𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟖

[ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟗

[ 𝐑𝐞𝐝 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟏𝟎

[ 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟏𝟏

[ 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟏𝟐


	8. You Choose Purple

It didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID this time just in case. The same security guards stood at the doors. They greeted you in varying degrees of excitement (and politeness), before you were let back in.

The casino lacked no crowd compared to the day before. As you had done previously, you first sauntered over to the bar to grab a drink. However, this time, Kenma was not around. Someone named ‘Yamamoto’ replaced him. His hair looked like a dish washing sponge.

You lingered around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the familiar pudding head to see if you would be invited to the special room once more. However, as time slowly wore on, no such person appeared. You even asked Yamamoto where Kenma was, only to receive a shrug in return.

Eventually, you wandered to the curtains to see if you would be able to get into the room anyways. There was no door.

You were stunned in confusion, limbs frozen as you tried to understand the situation. You swore that the door was right there yesterday. Kenma had led you here! You peeked out from behind the curtains to see if you were on the right side of the stage.

Your head spun. What was going on? Your fists slammed against the wall, trying to listen out for any hollow noise that might give up any secrets of the door’s whereabouts.

“Excuse me, but I will have to ask you to leave.”

The voice came from a quiet Yaku. Beside him, Lev towered over you, his face unnaturally drawn still and silent. Hadn’t they just let you in? You were too bewildered to fight back, and found yourself plonked outside the casino.

Your chest felt empty as you stared forlornly at the queue snaking around to get into the casino. Was there no explanation for why you were left alone? Just like last time? You quietly sighed to yourself. Of course. You shouldn’t have expected much more from Kuroo.

You slunk away, the ride back home taking you further away from the reconciliation you had hoped to achieve.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	9. You Choose Black

It didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID this time just in case. The same security guards stood at the doors. They greeted you in varying degrees of excitement (and politeness), before you were let back in.

The casino lacked no crowd compared to the day before. As you had done previously, you first sauntered over to the bar to grab a drink. However, this time, Kenma was not around. Someone named ‘Yamamoto’ replaced him. His hair looked like a dish washing sponge.

You lingered around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the familiar pudding head to see if you would be invited to the special room once more. However, as time slowly wore on, no such person appeared. You even asked Yamamoto where Kenma was, only to receive a shrug in return.

Eventually, you wandered to the curtains to see if you would be able to get into the room anyways. There was no door.

You were stunned in confusion, limbs frozen as you tried to understand the situation. You swore that the door was right there yesterday. Kenma had led you here! You peeked out from behind the curtains to see if you were on the right side of the stage.

Your head spun. What was going on? Your fists slammed against the wall, trying to listen out for any hollow noise that might give up any secrets of the door’s whereabouts.

“Excuse me, but I will have to ask you to leave.”

The voice came from a quiet Yaku. Beside him, Lev towered over you, his face unnaturally drawn still and silent. Hadn’t they just let you in? You were too bewildered to fight back, and found yourself plonked outside the casino.

Your chest felt empty as you stared forlornly at the queue snaking around to get into the casino. Was there no explanation for why you were left alone? Just like last time? You quietly sighed to yourself. Of course. You shouldn’t have expected much more from Kuroo.

You slunk away, the ride back home taking you further away from the reconciliation you had hoped to achieve.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	10. You Choose Red

It didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID this time just in case. The same security guards stood at the doors. They greeted you in varying degrees of excitement (and politeness), before you were let back in.

The casino lacked no crowd compared to the day before. As you had done previously, you first sauntered over to the bar to grab a drink.

A small group of men were being served by Kenma. They chatted over their drinks and one or two even threw you a few glances. Jazz music lingered nearby.

Kenma took your order and prepared your drink with precision that was unmatched. Your eyes followed his swift movements as he tilted bottles of alcohol, and poured the mixture out into a glass with a flourish. 

As you reached forward to take your drink, you felt his gaze still on you. You looked up, head tilted in question. His eyes met yours as you took a sip of your drink.

“Kuroo had quite a bit to talk about last night.”

Kenma’s statement did nothing to quell your confusion. 

“Come with me.”

It seemed more of an order than a choice you had. He walked briskly from the back of the counter over to the curtain, taking the same route as yesterday. Kenma opened the door to a familiar corridor. You slid past him to enter, approaching the end of the narrow corridor.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟏𝟑


	11. You Choose White

It didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID this time just in case. The same security guards stood at the doors. They greeted you in varying degrees of excitement (and politeness), before you were let back in.

The casino lacked no crowd compared to the day before. As you had done previously, you first sauntered over to the bar to grab a drink.

A small group of men were being served by Kenma. They chatted over their drinks and one or two even threw you a few glances. Jazz music lingered nearby.

After Kenma had taken your order, you rapped your fingers against the hardwood counter top, watching him concoct your drink. One of the males from the group broke free and sided up to you, taking in your features with a not so obvious stare.

“May I help you?”

The man had short, cropped hair and seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face. The amber liquid in his glass nearly spilled out of his glass with his fierce movements. He eyed you as if you were prey. You couldn’t help but cower a little under his perceiving gawk.

“Do you know Oikawa Tooru?”

Blinking, you nodded after taking a second to process his question. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. The sound made you raise an eyebrow. What was that for?

“Come with me.”

Turning on his heel, he didn’t bother to check if you were even keeping up. He shoved the door behind the curtain with more brute force than sensibility to just push down on the handle. You slid past him to enter, approaching the end of the narrow corridor.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟏𝟒


	12. You Choose Gold

It didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID this time just in case. The same security guards stood at the doors. They greeted you in varying degrees of excitement (and politeness), before you were let back in.

The casino lacked no crowd compared to the day before. As you had done previously, you first sauntered over to the bar to grab a drink.

A small group of men were being served by Kenma. They chatted over their drinks and one or two even threw you a few glances. Jazz music lingered nearby.

After Kenma had taken your order, you rapped your fingers against the hardwood counter top, watching him concoct your drink. One of the males from the group broke free and sided up to you, taking in your features with a not so obvious stare.

“May I help you?”

He carried himself in a similar way to Kenma. His calculating eyes took you in from head to toe, not once letting you even guess what he was thinking about behind his calm facade.

“I am Akaashi Keiji, right hand man to Bokuto Koutarou. He has requested your presence once more. Please follow me.”

His manners, soft and polite, made you bow a little awkwardly in response. He did not waste his time in escorting you to the door behind the curtain, and even made sure you weren’t lagging too far behind. You wondered how he was so… Different from Bokuto.

Akaashi’s slim fingers opened the door silently, and he inclined his head, motioning for you to enter. You slid past him, approaching the end of the narrow corridor.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟏𝟓


	13. You Choose Red (Continued)

You soon found yourself back at the curious casino a few more times than you would have liked to admit. Was it because you had free time, anyways? Was it because you could earn a few easy bucks? Was it because of the company?

You weren’t too sure. But one thing was apparent. You didn’t stop yourself from returning.

Each night brought you closer to the group of strange men in that secret back room. Hell, you had spent enough time there that you had figured out stoic Ushijima’s poker tell (he was prone to blinking a few times whenever he was dealt a bad hand. And, yes, maybe it was kind of cute.)!

Oikawa and Bokuto were just as rowdy as ever every single night. Kuroo and Daichi were a little more mellow, but fun to be around nonetheless. But one thing lingered in your mind. Why hadn’t Kuroo talked to you personally yet? As a childhood friend, you would think you deserved some sort of explanation, at least. Maybe you were just relieved to see that he was alive (and happy?).

Whatever. You were young, and you were going to have fun. End of the story. You would return to your normal day job once your break was over, and all this gambling and meddling with coloured suits would be forgotten as a lovely memory.

…Right?

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟖


	14. You Choose White (Continued)

You soon found yourself back at the curious casino a few more times than you would have liked to admit. Was it because you had free time, anyways? Was it because you could earn a few easy bucks? Was it because of the company?

You weren’t too sure. But one thing was apparent. You didn’t stop yourself from returning.

Each night brought you closer to the group of strange men in that secret back room. Hell, you had spent enough time there that you had figured out stoic Ushijima’s poker tell (he was prone to blinking a few times whenever he was dealt a bad hand. And, yes, maybe it was kind of cute.)!

Oikawa and Bokuto were just as rowdy as ever every single night. Kuroo and Daichi were a little more mellow, but fun to be around nonetheless. But one thing lingered in your mind. Why hadn’t Kuroo talked to you personally yet? As a childhood friend, you would think you deserved some sort of explanation, at least. Maybe you were just relieved to see that he was alive (and happy?).

Whatever. You were young, and you were going to have fun. End of the story. You would return to your normal day job once your break was over, and all this gambling and meddling with coloured suits would be forgotten as a lovely memory.

…Right?

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟒𝟕


	15. You Choose Gold (Continued)

You soon found yourself back at the curious casino a few more times than you would have liked to admit. Was it because you had free time, anyways? Was it because you could earn a few easy bucks? Was it because of the company?

You weren’t too sure. But one thing was apparent. You didn’t stop yourself from returning.

Each night brought you closer to the group of strange men in that secret back room. Hell, you had spent enough time there that you had figured out stoic Ushijima’s poker tell (he was prone to blinking a few times whenever he was dealt a bad hand. And, yes, maybe it was kind of cute.)!

Oikawa and Bokuto were just as rowdy as ever every single night. Kuroo and Daichi were a little more mellow, but fun to be around nonetheless. But one thing lingered in your mind. Why hadn’t Kuroo talked to you personally yet? As a childhood friend, you would think you deserved some sort of explanation, at least. Maybe you were just relieved to see that he was alive (and happy?).

Whatever. You were young, and you were going to have fun. End of the story. You would return to your normal day job once your break was over, and all this gambling and meddling with coloured suits would be forgotten as a lovely memory.

…Right?

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟔


	16. You Return To The Casino

The next morning, you nursed a sore headache as you woke from bed at an ungodly hour. What time was it? You only picked up your phone after another half hour of rolling around and groaning. It was late in the afternoon, nearing 5pm already. Your stomach growled in wild protest.

You had no choice but to struggle up and get something to eat, despite all that you wanted to do was to remain curled up underneath your soft blankets. Curse casinos and how that whole lot had made you stay till 4 in the morning! Yawning, you pushed your spatula lazily at some scrambled eggs.

You spent the rest of the day lolling about your home, doing some simple chores, but mostly just watching whatever that was on television. You only got up when it was near time for you to leave and head to the casino once more.

What drew you back there?

That thought was to be answered another time. Brushing back your hair like you were trying to rid yourself of unnecessary rumination, you fell silent before the mirror. 

What were you to wear? Standing before your closet and a hand on your hip, you surveyed your options. Eventually, you picked out an ensemble in…

[ 𝐑𝐞𝐝 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟏𝟕

[ 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟏𝟖

[ 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟏𝟗

[ 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐥𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟎

[ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟏


	17. You Choose Red

It didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID this time just in case. The same security guards stood at the doors. They greeted you in varying degrees of excitement (and politeness), before you were let back in.

The casino lacked no crowd compared to the day before. As you had done previously, you first sauntered over to the bar to grab a drink. However, this time, Kenma was not around. Someone named ‘Yamamoto’ replaced him. His hair looked like a dish washing sponge.

You lingered around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the familiar pudding head to see if you would be invited to the special room once more. However, as time slowly wore on, no such person appeared. You even asked Yamamoto where Kenma was, only to receive a shrug in return.

Eventually, you wandered to the curtains to see if you would be able to get into the room anyways. There was no door.

You were stunned in confusion, limbs frozen as you tried to understand the situation. You swore that the door was right there yesterday. Kenma had led you here! You peeked out from behind the curtains to see if you were on the right side of the stage. 

Your head spun. What was going on? Your fists slammed against the wall, trying to listen out for any hollow noise that might give up any secrets of the door’s whereabouts.

“Excuse me, but I will have to ask you to leave.”

The voice came from a quiet Yaku. Beside him, Lev towered over you, his face unnaturally drawn still and silent. Hadn’t they just let you in? You were too bewildered to fight back, and found yourself plonked outside the casino.

Your chest felt empty as you stared forlornly at the queue snaking around to get into the casino. Was there no explanation for why you were left alone? Just like last time? You quietly sighed to yourself. Of course. You shouldn’t have expected much more from Kuroo.

You slunk away, the ride back home taking you further away from the reconciliation you had hoped to achieve.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	18. You Choose White

It didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID this time just in case. The same security guards stood at the doors. They greeted you in varying degrees of excitement (and politeness), before you were let back in.

The casino lacked no crowd compared to the day before. As you had done previously, you first sauntered over to the bar to grab a drink. However, this time, Kenma was not around. Someone named ‘Yamamoto’ replaced him. His hair looked like a dish washing sponge.

You lingered around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the familiar pudding head to see if you would be invited to the special room once more. However, as time slowly wore on, no such person appeared. You even asked Yamamoto where Kenma was, only to receive a shrug in return.

Eventually, you wandered to the curtains to see if you would be able to get into the room anyways. There was no door.

You were stunned in confusion, limbs frozen as you tried to understand the situation. You swore that the door was right there yesterday. Kenma had led you here! You peeked out from behind the curtains to see if you were on the right side of the stage. 

Your head spun. What was going on? Your fists slammed against the wall, trying to listen out for any hollow noise that might give up any secrets of the door’s whereabouts.

“Excuse me, but I will have to ask you to leave.”

The voice came from a quiet Yaku. Beside him, Lev towered over you, his face unnaturally drawn still and silent. Hadn’t they just let you in? You were too bewildered to fight back, and found yourself plonked outside the casino.

Your chest felt empty as you stared forlornly at the queue snaking around to get into the casino. Was there no explanation for why you were left alone? Just like last time? You quietly sighed to yourself. Of course. You shouldn’t have expected much more from Kuroo.

You slunk away, the ride back home taking you further away from the reconciliation you had hoped to achieve.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	19. You Choose Gold

It didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID this time just in case. The same security guards stood at the doors. They greeted you in varying degrees of excitement (and politeness), before you were let back in.

The casino lacked no crowd compared to the day before. As you had done previously, you first sauntered over to the bar to grab a drink. However, this time, Kenma was not around. Someone named ‘Yamamoto’ replaced him. His hair looked like a dish washing sponge.

You lingered around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the familiar pudding head to see if you would be invited to the special room once more. However, as time slowly wore on, no such person appeared. You even asked Yamamoto where Kenma was, only to receive a shrug in return.

Eventually, you wandered to the curtains to see if you would be able to get into the room anyways. There was no door.

You were stunned in confusion, limbs frozen as you tried to understand the situation. You swore that the door was right there yesterday. Kenma had led you here! You peeked out from behind the curtains to see if you were on the right side of the stage. 

Your head spun. What was going on? Your fists slammed against the wall, trying to listen out for any hollow noise that might give up any secrets of the door’s whereabouts.

“Excuse me, but I will have to ask you to leave.”

The voice came from a quiet Yaku. Beside him, Lev towered over you, his face unnaturally drawn still and silent. Hadn’t they just let you in? You were too bewildered to fight back, and found yourself plonked outside the casino.

Your chest felt empty as you stared forlornly at the queue snaking around to get into the casino. Was there no explanation for why you were left alone? Just like last time? You quietly sighed to yourself. Of course. You shouldn’t have expected much more from Kuroo.

You slunk away, the ride back home taking you further away from the reconciliation you had hoped to achieve.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	20. You Choose Purple

It didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID this time just in case. The same security guards stood at the doors. They greeted you in varying degrees of excitement (and politeness), before you were let back in.

The casino lacked no crowd compared to the day before. As you had done previously, you first sauntered over to the bar to grab a drink. A small group of men were being served by Kenma. They chatted over their drinks and one or two even threw you a few glances. Jazz music lingered nearby.

After Kenma had taken your order, you rapped your fingers against the hardwood counter top, watching him concoct your drink. One of the males from the group broke free and sided up to you, taking in your features with a not so obvious stare.

“May I help you?”

The red haired man threw his head back with a cackle that was to be rivalled. What a weird person. 

“May you help me? Yes, yes! Come on, would you like to go back there and… Play a game, doll?”

He flashed you a wry smirk, running his tongue over his sharp canines. You eyed him warily and glanced back over to Kenma.

“Stop scaring my customers, Tendou,” he murmured. 

Your drink slid across to you and you handed Kenma your payment. Tendou pouted as he waved his fingers in the air, as if he was conducting an invisible orchestra. 

“Now, now, Kenma. No need to get too feisty. You know what happens when curiosity gets the better of cats… They get killed, hm?”

You swore that a maniacal expression darkened his already unnerving demeanour. You sipped your drink nervously, the grip on the glass a little too strong. Kenma was silent. He moved over to the group, topping up their drinks.

“Come on, you went there yesterday, didn’t you? No need to be scared, baby! Let’s go!”

Whooping, Tendou grabbed you by your shoulders, steering you over to the curtain. You barely had time to grab your drink, much less prevent yourself from toppling over as you were forced off your stool. You gulped.

Tendou reached over your arm to open the door with the familiar corridor. Only then did he let go of you, letting you slowly regain your balance as you approached the end of the narrow path.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟐


	21. You Choose Black

It didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID this time just in case. The same security guards stood at the doors. They greeted you in varying degrees of excitement (and politeness), before you were let back in.

The casino lacked no crowd compared to the day before. As you had done previously, you first sauntered over to the bar to grab a drink. A small group of men were being served by Kenma. They chatted over their drinks and one or two even threw you a few glances. Jazz music lingered nearby.

After Kenma had taken your order, you rapped your fingers against the hardwood counter top, watching him concoct your drink. One of the males from the group broke free and sided up to you, taking in your features with a not so obvious stare.

“May I help you?”

The grey haired male flashed you a pretty grin. He had rather feminine and attractive features.

“Hey, so I heard you’re the one that had Daichi up alllll night… I’m Sugawara, but you can just call me Suga.”

He drew out his words, tutting at the end as if he was chiding a mischievous child. You swallowed uneasily. His slender fingers creeped up your forearm and it tickled, making goosebumps prick your skin.

Suga seemed too charming for his own good. A flawless face with a beauty spot, and a sparkling smile that would be sure to stop anyone in their tracks at his advancements.

“N-not particularly,” you mumbled, looking to the side as you pulled your arm away. 

You rubbed your forearm. He hummed a quiet tune as he watched you still.

“Come on. He’s waiting for you, you know? Hop on in the back.”

Jerking his thumb towards the curtain, all you could do was scurry behind his swift and certain steps while trying to not spill your drink.

Suga opened the door to a familiar corridor. You slid past him to enter, approaching the end of the narrow path.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟑


	22. You Choose Purple (Continued)

You soon found yourself back at the curious casino a few more times than you would have liked to admit. Was it because you had free time, anyways? Was it because you could earn a few easy bucks? Was it because of the company?

You weren’t too sure. But one thing was apparent. You didn’t stop yourself from returning. 

Each night brought you closer to the group of strange men in that secret back room. Hell, you had spent enough time there that you had figured out stoic Ushijima’s poker tell (he was prone to blinking a few times whenever he was dealt a bad hand. And, yes, maybe it was kind of cute.)!

Oikawa and Bokuto were just as rowdy as ever every single night. Kuroo and Daichi were a little more mellow, but fun to be around nonetheless. But one thing lingered in your mind. Why hadn’t Kuroo talked to you personally yet? As a childhood friend, you would think you deserved some sort of explanation, at least. Maybe you were just relieved to see that he was alive (and happy?).

Whatever. You were young, and you were going to have fun. End of the story. You would return to your normal day job once your break was over, and all this gambling and meddling with coloured suits would be forgotten as a lovely memory.

…Right?

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟔


	23. You Choose Black (Continued)

You soon found yourself back at the curious casino a few more times than you would have liked to admit. Was it because you had free time, anyways? Was it because you could earn a few easy bucks? Was it because of the company?

You weren’t too sure. But one thing was apparent. You didn’t stop yourself from returning.

Each night brought you closer to the group of strange men in that secret back room. Hell, you had spent enough time there that you had figured out stoic Ushijima’s poker tell (he was prone to blinking a few times whenever he was dealt a bad hand. And, yes, maybe it was kind of cute.)!

Oikawa and Bokuto were just as rowdy as ever every single night. Kuroo and Daichi were a little more mellow, but fun to be around nonetheless. But one thing lingered in your mind. Why hadn’t Kuroo talked to you personally yet? As a childhood friend, you would think you deserved some sort of explanation, at least. Maybe you were just relieved to see that he was alive (and happy?).

Whatever. You were young, and you were going to have fun. End of the story. You would return to your normal day job once your break was over, and all this gambling and meddling with coloured suits would be forgotten as a lovely memory.

…Right?

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟕


	24. Bad End

☆*:.｡.We all make mistakes, but which of those are redeemable? Would you like to try again?.｡.:*☆ 

[ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐


	25. Good End

☆*:.｡.Congratulations! You’ve completed this route. Would you like to try another one?.｡.:*☆   
[ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐


	26. Bokuto's Route

☆*:.｡. You have unlocked Bokuto’s Route.｡.:*☆ 

> Unfortunately, this route is not accessible yet. Please look out for any updates!


	27. Daichi's Route

☆*:.｡. You have unlocked Daichi’s Route.｡.:*☆

> Unfortunately, this route is not accessible yet. Please look out for any updates!


	28. Kuroo's Route

☆*:.｡. You have unlocked Kuroo’s Route.｡.:*☆

> Remember, every choice matters. Can you make it to the end without suffering the consequences?
> 
> [ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟗


	29. Kuroo's Choice 1

It’s been a few days since you started visiting the casino every evening.

“Raise”

“Oh, playing bold today, angel?”

“You know it, darling.”

You couldn’t help but watch in disgust as Kuroo and Bokuto made kissy faces at each other. You considered chucking a chip right at them, yet found it difficult to tear your eyes away.

“Can you guys stop? I’m about to throw my dinner up, the both of you are disgusting,” Oikawa made a gagging noise and pulled a funny face, making you laugh.

“Are you alright, Oikawa? Do you need me to proceed with the Heimlich maneuver?”

Concerned, Ushijima quickly began to whack the brunette between his shoulder blades. It appeared that he hit Oikawa with quite a bit of force, considering how some spittle flew out of his mouth. His cards nearly slip from his hand.

“Ew, Oikawa!” You groaned in disgust, hurriedly wiping his saliva off of the back of your hand.

Daichi was quick to pass you a handkerchief, to which you mumbled your thanks. You used the soft cotton to clean the rest of Oikawa’s spit, before folding the cloth and returning it to its owner.

“Are you sure you’re fine, Oikawa? I took a first aid course and-”

“I’m fine, really, Ushiwaka! Don’t you know how to take sarcasm?” Oikawa held up his hands, shielding himself from the other male’s thoughtful attacks.

“He has an ace and four of hearts!” Bokuto hollered from the other end of the table.

Daichi nodded seriously, considering the odds of his hand winning after the brunette’s cards had been exposed.

“Hey! No cheating!” You cried out.

Oikawa looked at you, wearing a pair of gut-wrenching puppy dog eyes. Hell. Now, you’re the one who felt like puking.

“No cheating - Bokuto, Kuroo. I’m very disappointed in you, Daichi,” with a sigh, you leaned forward to scoop up half of the offenders’ chips and dumped them into the pot. Before they could even protest, you dealt the next community card.

ヾ☆*。

Being the dealer this round, it was interesting to see how differently all five of them played poker. Your eyes particularly fell upon Kuroo. He was the hardest to discern, sporting a sly grin and calm exterior that made you want to punch his stupidly handsome face. Wait, never mind, he might look hotter with a scar.

It seemed that you had been studying Kuroo’s face for too long. Your train of thought was broken as the room fell quiet, and all of the men looked up at you expectantly.

“What?” You asked, taking your weight off of the leg you had been bearing it on and shifting around. 

You scrunched up your face at their curious stares.

“We finished our betting!” Bokuto chirped innocently.

“Ah. Okay. Show me your cards.”

ヾ☆*。

It was soon around 5am, a customary time for you to leave the casino. As you were packing up your chips into the bag Ushijima had given you, your skin prickled with goosebumps. Turning around, you found Kuroo goggling at your back intently, as if you had offended him with simply doing nothing.

You raised your eyebrow in silent question. Kuroo sucked on his teeth as he looked at you.

“Stay back,” he mouthed. 

You were a little confused, but nodded ever so slightly as to not arouse any suspicion. You slowed down the rate at which you were cleaning up, and even joked around with the guys to buy yourself some time.

“See you tomorrow!”

As the last of them slipped into the corridor, you waited for the door to click shut before you turned around to face Kuroo.

“What’s up, bang boy?”

“Bang as in… Bang _bang_ or hair bangs?”

You rolled your eyes as he gave you a suggestive thrust of his hips. You pretended to gag on something, turning your face away from him.

“Never mind. What do you want to talk to me about?”

Kuroo’s eyes lazily rolled down your figure. You stood in front of the poker table, a hand on your hip as you leaned your weight against the edge of the wooden frame. He was in a divot of the table where the dealer would be, as he had been the previous round.

“Not much, just… Something. Casual things. Y'know, the usual.”

“Do you mean, uh, about that whole shit show when you disappeared?”

Kuroo cast his gaze off to the side. He seemed a little nervous, which was strange, because Kuroo Tetsurou was not the type to get nervous. You could tell from the way his shoulders tensed as he crossed his arms, fingers tapping an uneven rhythm into the crook of his elbow.

“Kuroo?”

He redirected his focus back onto you at the concerned tone in which you spoke. Your brows were adorably furrowed together, eyes trained upon his form, watching for any show of emotion.

“I got you something. A gift.”

For what? Your birthday wasn’t anytime soon. Well, supposing that he remembered when your birthday was. He bent down, disappearing behind the table as he rustled in the small cupboard underneath. He soon popped back up with a simple black box that had a red ribbon over it.

“Here you go.”

Kuroo held the box out to you expectantly.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐱 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟎

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐱 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟏


	30. You Take The Box

“Huh? Oh… Thanks, you shouldn’t have.”

Reaching out, you took the box into your hands. You tilted the box here and there as you peeked at the packaging from a couple different angles. Once Kuroo had given it to you, his playful self seemed to have bounced back into action. He straightened his tie as he sauntered over to the door, mockingly bowing a little as if he was your butler. You gave his shoulder a soft punch.

“See you later.”

What was in the box? It was on the heavier side for sure, but didn’t give off any noise when you tried to furiously rattle it next to your ear. 

You only opened the box when you got home. You were sleepy from the long night out, but curiosity overpowered your desire to rest. The ribbon was thick and silky to the touch. Lifting the top part of the box open, you were met with a little resistance, but soon the lower half thunked heavily against your table.

A lovely perfume bottle was snuggled by crimson velvet. The label on the front read ‘LE CHAT’, with a familiar cat stamp below it. A red rose was formed by another piece of ribbon around the neck of the bottle. Gingerly, you lifted it out of the box, and marvelled at the light that reflected off of its crystal clear surface.

You picked the black cover off of it and gave it a few testing spritzes into the air around you. The scent was sweet but subtle, and reminded you of fresh, clean sheets. You didn’t mind it at all. In fact, you took a certain liking towards the bottle. 

What a thoughtful gift. But, again, what for?

You placed it back gently onto your table and placed the box back together.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟑


	31. You Don't Take The Box

“Huh? No, Kuroo! Please, really, I don’t need a gift,”

You tried to wave him off with both your hands. You didn’t see how Kuroo peered at you with disappointment evident in his eyes.

“Are you sure? It’s just… Nothing special. I just wanted to get you something after all these years.”

His voice was quiet and tight as he attempted to coax you into taking the box. It only made you solidify your decision not to. What was so important about it, and why was he being… Kind of creepy about the gift?

“It’s fine, Kuroo. I appreciate the thought, but you really didn’t have to. I’ll see you later, okay? Sleep tight!”

You gathered up your bag and gave him a swift wave, before bolting down the corridor to leave. Your heart thumped against your chest heavily, and a sick feeling settled in the pit of your stomach. Just the alcohol, you assured yourself.

You speed walked past patrons of the thinning crowd, deciding to exchange your chips the next time you arrived at the casino. You just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

The taxi ride back home was frustrating. The driver kept running over potholes or swerved too hard at the wrong moment, causing your body to lurch with each twist and turn of the steering wheel. To top it all off, you were beginning to have a throbbing headache creep into your skull.

You huffed in irritation as you stomped back into your house. You would sleep it all off, and everything would be fine when you woke up. Curling under your blanket, you spent a good hour or so tossing and turning in frustration.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟐


	32. Kuroo's End 1

t didn’t take you as long as you had expected to get ready the next day. You arrived at the casino stylishly once more in the back of a dingy cab, prepping your ID just in case. However, you weren’t let into the casino with practised familiarity by the pair of oddball security guards that night.

“What do you mean I can’t enter?”

It was evident how exasperated you were. After those past few nights spent with the owner of the casino himself, you were suddenly cast out? What in the world was going on?

“I’m sorry, but we have direct orders not to let you in,” Yaku said firmly, his posture unwavering. 

Hell, even Lev stood to attention and chewed at the corner of his lip, the only evidence of how fidgety he was.

“This is stupid. I want to talk to Kuroo now.”

“I’m sorry, but we have direct orders not to let you in.”

You gave a desperate glance at the queue behind you. People were chatting amongst themselves, oblivious to the situation you were in right now.

“Not even Kenma?”

“I’m sorry, but we have direct orders not to let you in.”

You balled your hands up into fists. Frustration ate you, making perspiration pool under your arms and causing your head to swim. Finally, you took a few steps away from the doors and were now in the lobby. 

Your chest felt empty as you stared forlornly at the queue snaking around to get into the casino. Was there no explanation for why you were left alone? Just like last time? You quietly sighed to yourself. Of course. You shouldn’t have expected much more from Kuroo.

You slunk away, the ride back home taking you further away from the reconciliation you had hoped to achieve.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	33. Kuroo's Choice 2

You woke up a few hours later. The sun was beginning its descent, tossing golden rays haphazardly across your bedroom. Refreshed from your rest, you plodded over to the bathroom to begin your wakeup routine and then followed it up by having some food.

As you scooped cold milk and cereal into your mouth, your eyes landed upon the gift box that sat on your table expectantly. Should you wear it? You weren’t really a perfume person in the first place, and at most all you had was the smell from your body wash or some body mist.

But Kuroo had given it to you! It would be rude to not use it, after all, and it was kind of sweet of him to get you something without a need to. You continued your debate internally till your cereal had turned soggy. You didn’t eat much of it after that.

The box sat heavily on your dining table the entire day, and you often saw it in your peripheral as you moved about the house. It refused to stay out of your mind, instead the decision of whether to wear it or not plagued you.

You spent the rest of the day lazing about your home, doing some simple chores, but mostly just watching whatever that was on television. Well, you did as much as you could, considering the fact that you couldn’t get that damn perfume out of your head. You only got up from your sofa when it was near time for you to leave and head to the casino once more.

What drew you back there?

That thought was to be answered another time. Brushing back your hair like you were trying to rid yourself of the unnecessary rumination, you fell silent before the mirror. Should you wear the perfume?

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐦𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟒


	34. You Wear The Perfume

You decided to spritz yourself a couple times with the perfume, and eventually were on your way back to the casino. It was only right for you to wear his gift, after all. Everything was as usual - you got in easily, and went to get a drink first.

Kenma gave you a few curious sniffs. His face twisted as he made a disgruntled look. You couldn’t help but laugh, picking up your drink in your hand.

“Something wrong, Kenma?”

“You wore it, didn’t you? He’s never going to shut up now…” the blonde mumbled as he walked away, still muttering under his breath even as he showed you the way to the back room once more. 

You sashayed in with renewed confidence and purpose, opening the door only to… See Oikawa and Kuroo pulling at each other’s hair?

“Bastard! Let go! You stupid cat!”

“Huhhh? Stupid? You let go first!”

You stood in the doorway, dumbfounded as the two men wrestled with each other like children. Bokuto was to the side cheering them on. Ushijima merely stared, while Daichi tried to pick them apart.

“What’s going on?”

You finally broke the air of testosterone and idiocy. They all turned to look at you, eerily quiet.

“He tried to steal my chips!”

Kuroo and Oikawa pointed at each other childishly and they were back to hurling insults that made it seem like you were at a playground, babysitting a bunch of seven year olds. You pinched your nose bridge, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Cut it out! Are you guys five? Just give him his chips back, Oikawa!”

Daichi finally managed to manhandle the two of them apart. They glared daggers at each other, pouting as they turned away with a huff.

“You did great out there bro! You went bam, and woosh! You totally beat his ass!”

“As if he has any ass to begin with,” Kuroo snorted and Oikawa whirled back around, a finger pointing at him, but Ushijima pushed down on his shoulder so hard he was forced to sit. 

You rolled your eyes, taking your seat in the middle of the table and sipping your drink. However, Daichi gave you a few sniffs, just like Kenma had done.

“Did you try out a new scent?”

Kuroo’s ears perked up.

“Oya?”

The man leaned over from the dealer’s seat, wearing a prideful smirk as he sniffed you too.

“You wore it huh? I gave it to you and you wore it?”

You felt your cheeks heat up instantly and you pulled away to bring some distance between the both of you. The intensity of your perfume seemed to increase tenfold, as the once delicate smell invaded your nostrils.

“O-of course I did! You gave it to me, it would have been rude to not do so,” you mumbled, averting your gaze from his. Ushijima looked at you.

“You smell very nice.”

“Don’t say it that way, Ushiwaka! You sound so creepy!” Oikawa cried out and gave him a smack on his arm, but he did not respond.

“Right, right? I picked out such a good perfume!”

“Yeah bro! I mean, I can’t smell it from over here, but good job!”

Bokuto cheered Kuroo on as he smugly leaned back into his seat. However, for a split second, you noticed a certain tension lingering in the room. It seemed as if everyone had turned against Kuroo, somewhat aggressive, as they gave him a glance that lasted a second too long.

Had you imagined it?

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟔


	35. You Don't Wear The Perfume

You decided against it, and just showed up at the casino per usual. It would have been a little strange to show up wearing that gift. It wasn’t like you two were in a relationship, anyways. Everything was as normal - you got in easily, and went to get a drink first.

Kenma gave you a few curious sniffs. 

“Something wrong, Kenma?”

“…Nothing,” the blonde mumbled as he walked aways, showing you the way to the back room once more.

You sashayed in with renewed confidence and purpose, opening the door only to… See Oikawa and Kuroo pulling at each other’s hair?

“Bastard! Let go! You stupid cat!”

“Huhhh? Stupid? You let go first!”

You stood in the doorway, dumbfounded as the two men wrestled with each other like children. Bokuto was to the side cheering them on, Ushijima merely stared, while Daichi tried to pick them apart.

“What’s going on?”

You finally broke the air of testosterone and idiocy. They all turned to look at you, eerily quiet.

“He tried to steal my chips!”

Kuroo and Oikawa pointed at each other childishly and they were back to hurling insults that made it seem like you were at a playground, babysitting a bunch of seven year olds. You pinched your nose bridge, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Cut it out! Are you guys five? Just give him his chips back, Oikawa!”

Daichi finally managed to manhandle the two of them. They glared daggers at each other, pouting as they turned away with a huff.

“You did great out there bro! You went bam, and woosh! You totally beat his ass!”

“As if he has any ass to begin with,” Kuroo snorted and Oikawa whirled back around, a finger pointing at him, but Ushijima pushed down on his shoulder so hard he was forced to sit. 

You rolled your eyes, taking your seat in the middle of the table and sipping your drink. 

Kuroo eyed you the entire night, and even leaned in to sniff you a couple times. It was weirdly creepy and he was accused by the entire room for acting like a horndog. You noticed him staring off into the air, or even glaring into your head when you were peeking at your hand.

What had you done wrong? Was it simply because you hadn’t worn that perfume? If Kuroo was so upset over such a simple thing, he was being rather childish. You tried to brush off the unease that burdened you, and spent the rest of your evening as usual.

Kuroo didn’t talk to you much. 

When he did, however, it was merely for the sake of whatever game you were playing then. Maybe he was just feeling a little off tonight? You chose to ignore it, and left after the games, thinking that he would be fine the next day.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟐


	36. Kuroo's Choice 3

The night was fairly similar to the rest you had spent at the casino. Although, at the end of things, Kuroo had asked (rather, signalled) for you to stay behind as he had last night once more. You agreed with a small nod of your head.

“So, that’s the real question, would chickens have-”

“Okay, okay! Enough Bokuto. I’ll see you later, alright?”

You chuckled nervously as you tried to push the beefy man out of the door. It was certainly a difficult task, considering how… big he was, but he perked up like a friendly dog when you said you would see him again later that night.

“Okay! Bye bye!”

He waved goodbye, trotting off to join the other three who had left the room already. You turned around, looking at Kuroo. He sat on the edge of the poker table, nervously plucking at his cuticles for whatever reason. You raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

You leaned your weight onto your supporting hand that gripped the back of your chair. Kuroo glanced up quickly. There was a growing pressure in your chest the more he stared at you as if he was trying to convey something over telepathically. You swallowed drily, looking away after a few more seconds.

Why did he have to look so… good? Were all people supposed to look so damn attractive in a well fitted suit? You couldn’t stop your eyes for the past few days from wandering over his body and his face. 

Though, had Kuroo really grown up in those years where you didn’t see him? Around the others, he seemed pretty mature, if not sociable, at least. But when he was with you, it was as if a cat had gotten a hold of his tongue. You couldn’t tell why. You gestured vaguely at Kuroo, wondering if he was going to speak up.

“What’s your favourite game?”

“Sorry?”

You were a little shell shocked by such a random question.

“What’s your favourite game?” He repeated himself, fingers interlocking with his own tightly. 

You laughed lightly. This was what he had asked you to stay back for? Was he joking? You had half the mind to ask Kuroo to explain himself there and then. It had been close to five years without knowing whether he was even alive - and he comes back to pull this kind of bullshit?

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟕

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐣𝐨𝐧𝐠 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟖


	37. You Choose Poker

“Poker,” you mumbled your answer, before grabbing your bag quickly. 

The audacity this man had - indescribable, and utterly mortifying. 

“See you later.”

Without another word, you booked it out of the room. Frustration bubbled in your throat like the champagne you had earlier, threatening to spill from your throat. You gagged. 

You rushed home as quickly as you could, tugging the covers over your head as you prayed that you wouldn’t dream of money, poker cards, and a man with messy black hair. 

Unfortunately, you did. He was dressed in his signature red suit, leaning against the poker table. You were laid on your back, while he had caged you with both his arms.

What was he saying?

His lips moved wordlessly, and his face became blurry before you. You felt an urge to hold him close - to prevent him from slipping between your fingers when he was so near. 

You woke up drenched in cold sweat, and your heart was beating so quickly as if you had just run a marathon. Adrenaline was slowly fizzling out from the tips of your fingers, but you were still unable to move for a few seconds. You laid in your damp bed, staring at the ceiling as you tried to calm down.

What was all of that for?

You slowly got up, rubbing your face with your hands. You didn’t want to think about it too much. Brushing it off as some sort of fever dream, you went to get ready for the day. You did a bit of grocery shopping before coming back and rushing back off to the casino.

As usual, you were snug in your seat, sipping from your drink. Bokuto, Daichi and Oikawa had yet to arrive. Kuroo was still fidgeting as he bounced his thigh, tilting his chin back as he stared at the ceiling. You tried not to look at him. With each second that he entered your field of vision, you found yourself replaying the memories of your dream in your head.

You glanced over to Ushijima instead. He had his arms folded over his chest and was… dozing off? His head nodded every few seconds, and he looked like an old grandpa on a park bench after reading the day’s newspaper. You snorted quietly and looked away.

Kuroo looked at you square in the eye.

“This is for you.”

Without saying anything else, he slid a small bag over. It was about the size of your hand, or at least a little bigger, and was silky to the touch. Another gift? Who did Kuroo think he was, your sugar daddy? You eyed him carefully as you took the bag, unzipping it before pulling its contents out.

Gold poker cards rested in your hands, glittering in the light as you turned them at various angles. Your jaw hung open, in a stupor from what Kuroo had given you.

“Is… Is this real gold?” you managed to squeak as you looked back up at him. 

He had an unreadable look on his face as he gave you the smallest of smiles. You gulped.

“How did you get the money? This must have cost so much!”

Was Kuroo actually insane? You couldn’t really bear to accept such an expensive gift, but the pleading look he had on his face made you think twice about your decision.

“I literally own this casino,” he pointed out, and your cheeks heated up. 

You looked down at the cards once more. They had cat designs, as you would have expected, and their half lidded eyes stared at you as you flipped through them.

“Thank you,” you whispered as you put the cards back into the bag. 

You looked over at Ushijima, who was still napping. Kuroo smiled, a little more genuinely this time.

“You’re welcome.”

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟗


	38. You Choose Mahjong

“Mahjong,” you mumbled your answer, before grabbing your bag quickly. 

The audacity this man had - indescribable, and utterly mortifying. 

“See you later.”

Without another word, you booked it out of the room. Frustration bubbled in your throat like the champagne you had earlier, threatening to spill from your throat. You gagged. 

You rushed home as quickly as you could, tugging the covers over your head as you prayed that you wouldn’t dream of money, poker cards, and a man with messy black hair.

Unfortunately, you did. He was dressed in his signature red suit, leaning against the poker table. You were laid on your back, while he had caged you with both his arms.

What was he saying?

His lips moved wordlessly, and his face became blurry before you. You felt an urge to hold him - to prevent him from slipping between your fingers when he was so close. 

You woke up drenched in cold sweat, and your heart was beating so quickly as if you had just run a marathon. Adrenaline was slowly fizzling out from the tips of your fingers, but you were still unable to move for a few seconds. You laid in your damp bed, staring at the ceiling as you tried to calm down.

What was all of that for?

You slowly got up, rubbing your face with your hands. You didn’t want to think about it too much. Brushing it off as some sort of fever dream, you went to get ready for the day. You did a bit of grocery shopping before coming back and rushing back off to the casino.

As usual, you were snug in your seat, sipping from your drink. Bokuto, Daichi and Oikawa had yet to arrive. Kuroo was still fidgeting as he bounced his thigh, tilting his chin back as he stared at the ceiling. You tried not to look at him. With each second that he entered your field of vision, you found yourself replaying the memories of your dream in your head.

You glanced over to Ushijima instead. He had his arms folded over his chest and was… dozing off? His head nodded every few seconds, and he looked like an old grandpa on a park bench after reading the day’s newspaper. You snorted quietly and looked away.

Kuroo looked at you square in the eye.

“This is for you.”

Without saying anything else, he heaved a case over. It was about the size of an average working suitcase. Another gift? Who did Kuroo think he was, your sugar daddy? You eyed him as you took the bag, unzipping it before pulling its contents out.

Ivory mahjong pieces with gold backing glittering in the light as you turned them at various angles. Your jaw hung open, in a stupor from what Kuroo had given you.

“Is… Is this real gold? And ivory?” you managed to squeak as you looked back up at him. He had an unreadable look on his face as he gave you the smallest of smiles.

“How did you get the money? This must have cost so much!”

Was Kuroo actually insane? You couldn’t really bear to accept such an expensive gift, but the pleading look he had on his face made you think twice about your decision.

“I literally own this casino,” he pointed out, and your cheeks heated up. 

You looked down at the tiles once more. They had cat designs, as you would have expected, and their half lidded eyes stared at you as you picked through them.

“Thank you,” you whispered as you put the tiles back into the case. 

You looked over at Ushijima, who was still napping. Kuroo smiled, a little more genuine this time.

“You’re welcome.”

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟑𝟗


	39. Kuroo's Choice 4

“Aw, come on, Daichi! You’ve won three times in a row already, cut us some slack!” Bokuto groaned as he threw his head back, fingers entangled in his dual toned hair. 

The targeted male only let out a light laugh.

“Skills, Bokuto. You’ve got to have these fingers.”

He gave him a sly smile, wiggling his appendages in the air as if they were the secret to his victories. Ushijima gave him a heavy look.

“You are a worthy opponent.”

Daichi nodded seriously in return.

“And you too, Ushijima.”

You snorted at how formal they were over such a small thing. However, the door was slammed open and you jumped in shock. The men suddenly tensed up, their hands reaching for various places where their clothes concealed their bodies. You turned to face a sweaty Kenma, who was panting and gasping for air. 

“Police,” he simply said. 

The air froze for a second, as you let the news settle in. Police? For what? Did the police always do routine checks at casinos? You shrugged it off, and turned back around.

The sight before your eyes made you blink in confusion. What were they doing? Bokuto, Daichi, Ushijima and Oikawa were running their hands over the wallpaper, as if they were trying to find something against a flat surface. You cocked an eyebrow in response.

“Guys?”

Kuroo grimaced, and your heart dropped.

“Sorry, sweetheart. We didn’t really want this to be the way you found out.”

Oikawa gave you a sad pout. Ushijima’s fingers found a spot where the wallpaper was carefully pasted over a thin crack in the wall. He nudged the toe of his Oxfords against the wall, slowly but surely pushing it open.

“You better pay for the polish on these, Kuroo,” he deadpanned. 

You reeled from it all. Kenma had raced back out, and the door was bolted shut.

“Guys? What’s happening?”

You got up, heart beginning to race from the unfamiliarity of the situation at hand.

“Well- You see, darling, we aren’t the nicest people around.”

Bokuto put a hand on his chest, giving you a pitiful look.

“You can call us the… Yakuza.”

Daichi gave you a shrug that was almost casual. Your eyes flew to Kuroo’s face. You had too many questions, and you weren’t even sure if he was going to be able to answer them now. He chewed on his lower lip, hands crossed tightly over his chest.

He mouthed a ‘sorry’ that was almost pathetic.

You narrowed your eyes in response. Really? That was all he had to say? 

Anger licked at your belly in growing flames. Your fingers clenched into fists as you felt all the suppressed emotions that you had withheld slowly grasp their way to the surface. Kuroo came around the table quickly, clutching your hands in his. The rest were still struggling to push the wall open.

“Kuroo, you might want to ask your contractor why this is so hard to open. It could be a fire hazard, if you need any contractors, I know-”

“Not everyone wants to help the yakuza build a secret escape route, yeah?”

Kuroo shot back at Ushijima frantically, before facing you with eyes that made you melt. You felt embarrassed merely from him being so close. You could smell his cologne on him, and his face was too close, way too close!

“I’m sorry. Can you help us? Please?” he whispered.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟒𝟎

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟒𝟏


	40. You Help Them

“I hate you,” you mumbled, rolling your eyes at Kuroo, who only beamed at you in response.

“There we go.”

You felt your face flush as he leaned in, his lips ghosting the shell of your ear. Your skin prickled with goosebumps and you involuntarily reached up to rub your neck.

“I promise I’ll tell you everything after this is over.”

“Hey, lovebirds! Come over here and pull your weight!” Oikawa shouted and you nodded shyly. 

Kuroo tugged you over and all six of you leaned your combined weights on the wall. It began to finally cave in, and it swung to the side like a door. There was a gap large enough for them to slip through.

“Hurry, you guys first. Bokuto, don’t forget to suck in your ass. Ushijima, square your shoulders, yeah? Don’t get stuck like last time.”

“Last time?” you hissed at Kuroo, who was ordering everyone through like a kindergarten procession to recess.

“I’ll tell you later. Bokuto!”

“Sorry bro! I can’t help it! I’m too- Ack!” Bokuto yelped as he was kicked in the rear by Daichi, which finally sent him flying behind the wall. 

“See ya.”

Daichi gave you a small wave before the wall slammed shut from the other end. 

“Your contractor’s really messed up if it closes easier from that side than it opens from here.”

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟒𝟐


	41. You Don't Help Them

You were nearly swayed over by Kuroo’s attempt at what seemed to be puppy dog eyes. There was one last chance to give him up, one last chance for you to get yourself out of this dirty business.

“I’m sorry. I can’t.”

Kuroo’s heart crumpled at your words. He looked as if you had punched him in the gut there and then. You grimaced, sucking your teeth as he let go of your hands.

“Okay,” he said quietly. 

He hesitated for a second, before pulling away completely. Kuroo moved over to the wall and leaned against it, grunting as he helped the others try to open up a gap big enough for them to slip through. He hid his face in his shoulder.

Silently, you fell back onto your chair. Your nails had formed imprints of half moons in your palms from how tight you had been digging them into your skin. Your chest felt tight, and you fidgeted as you sat there, awaiting the police to come in and supposedly arrest all of them.

You were innocent. You would be fine. All you had done was stay at the casino and legally gamble.

You took a deep breath, trying to ignore the tension in your shoulders and the way your knees were shaking despite you sitting down. You felt like one big vibrating ball of anxiety.

You could hear the thudding of feet down the corridor. You squeezed your eyes shut and curled your toes in your shoes, feeling the eyes of the men burn into you desperately.

“Please? Just once,” Daichi murmured, his gaze dark as it flickered between you and the door. 

You held your ground.

The door flew open, and the police burst into the room with their guns held up. You weren’t really sure what happened in the next few seconds. The men ended up injuring a few cops, if you remembered correctly, as they struggled to rush out through the front door. You, on the other hand, were pinned down.

Accomplice to crime, or so they had said. Whatever that meant.

You sat in the back of the police car, hands cuffed with Kuroo next to you. You didn’t bother to look up at him no matter how he tried to mumble something to you.

“I’m sorry,” he had whispered. 

You turned over to look at him with an empty gaze.

“Kuroo?”

He didn’t reply.

“Why did you do all of this?”

You asked, pressing your lips together to keep them from trembling. The door next to you was pulled open, and you were hauled out before Kuroo could even reply. Warm tears slipped down your cheeks as you hobbled over to the holding cell, the gate slamming shut with a loud clang.

You stared at the cuffs that were on your wrists, before tilting your head back with a heavy sigh. Kuroo Tetsurou was trouble in a multitude of ways, and he always threw you off of your balance. There hadn’t been a point in placing your wavering faith in him once more.

You shouldn’t have visited the casino in the first place.

Shouldn’t have gotten involved with Kuroo.

Shouldn’t have given him a second chance, after all that he had done.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	42. Kuroo's Choice 5

You put your hands on your hips, staring at the wall as if it would start moving again. Kuroo reached over hesitantly and gently turned you to him. You felt his breath against your lips, and you felt like you were swallowing a brick with how parched your throat was. His hands rested on your cheeks.

“I promise I’ll tell you everything. Once this is over,” he repeated. 

Your heart was desperate to escape its restraints as it pounded against your chest, eagerly pumping pumping blood seemingly everywhere but your head. You were dizzy. His thumb ran itself over the curve of your lips.

Kuroo was overwhelmingly intoxicating. His finger rested on your lower lip for a second longer, finally letting the plump flesh go.

“Can I kiss you?”

You stared at his lips, far too shy to linger on his gaze for even a moment. You nodded a little. Kuroo cupped your left cheek with his warm palm, and his mouth was finally against yours.

Just as the door was flung open. 

You gasped into the kiss, but Kuroo kept his lips against yours. He pushed you down onto the poker table, not caring as chips flew everywhere. You let out a whimper as your back hit the surface. Kuroo hiked your leg up against his torso as he continued to press open mouthed kisses against your lips and neck.

Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a bunch of undercover and regular cops, as well as a surprisingly composed Kenma. You were pretty sure he gagged, though. Kuroo seemed to ignore the fact that there were at least ten people watching the both of you eat out each other’s faces. A flash of horror passed through you.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐦 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟒𝟑

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟒𝟓


	43. You Continue To Kiss Him

You focused your attention back to Kuroo, moaning through the kiss as you entangled your fingers in his hair, tugging on the dark locks. His hand slithered down your waist to grope your ass.

“Freeze! It’s the police, hands up! We have a warrant to search your premises. You have the right to remain silent, and-”

Instead, you wrapped your hand around Kuroo’s silk tie, once, twice. You kept him against your lips for a few seconds longer before letting him lean back up.

“Yes, officer?” you said breathlessly. 

Most of the police were rather embarrassed, struggling to keep a straight face on. Kenma made a disgusted face and you laughed quietly to yourself. You looked back up at Kuroo. His eyes were strangely bright, while his outfit was in disarray from your handling.

“Stand up, please. Hands to the wall.”

You moved over to the wall, purposefully sticking your ass out a little more than needed as the police patted you down. You made a flirty wink at Kuroo. He laughed at you, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“Are you Shiroo, owner of this casino?”

“Yes, sir. How can I help you?”

You had to hold back a snort from Kuroo’s fake alias. Really? You leaned against the wall, crossing your arms as you watched him with mild amusement. The police searched the back room for any secret exits. At most, they had only found some extra sets of poker cards and some alcohol. Nothing he could be convicted of.

“We’ll run through your logbooks one more time.”

“Of course, officer. Whatever makes you happy,” Kuroo purred as he showed the police the way out of the room. 

He had an arm around your waist as you both watched the police flip through the books that Kenma had taken out.

“Really, Shiroo?”

Kuroo rolled his eyes.

“Shut up. It was Kanna’s idea.”

He winked at Kenma, who simply ignored him. He looked back down at you lazily. A single finger lifted your chin once more as he stared at your lips.

“Let me kiss you one more time?”

“Of course, Shiroo.”

You tilted your face to meet his, gladly welcoming his lips that moulded themselves against yours. He pressed a hand to the small of your back as he carefully maneuvered you against the bar counter. The tension you had been feeling from earlier melted away as you locked lips with him.

“And… Who is this?” A police officer with an open notepad in his hand cleared his throat. 

You separated yourself from Kuroo, running your tongue over your swollen lips.

“Well, I guess you can say… My lover,” Kuroo pronounced with a smug smile. 

You gave the officer a similar cheshire grin. The cat was out of the bag, but it hadn’t been caught. You slipped your fingers into his and stared up into his eyes dreamily.

“Ah! Shiroo, my darling…”

“And you, my love.”

You heard Kenma retch somewhere behind you, and your lips spread into a wide grin. You hadn’t been dealt with the perfect hand, but with the cards provided to you, you had been able to score yourself a win in the end. 

All that you needed had been right there all along.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟒𝟒


	44. Kuroo's End 2

“So, the story about how Ushijima got his shoulders stuck?” you grimace, squeezing your eyes shut.

“Ah, yes. We were all hanging out at an old shack that serves Chinese food, but some rival gang decided to shoot the place up. I supposed they caught wind that all of us were there. Anyways, we were pretty lazy to fight back so we decided to get out of there. Only thing was that the one exit they had was a small door that led to the back alley. Ushijima was trying to get through, but instead of going sideways, the knucklehead decided to just continue walking normally,” Kuroo rambles on as he holds your hand in his. 

You’re lying butt naked against a tatami floor, your chin digging into his thigh as a prickling pain extends itself across the expanse of your back.

“His shoulders got caught and he nearly took the entire door frame with him. It was quite funny. Daichi and I had to pull him out. He ruined his suit after that.”

“Keep talking. It hurts like shit,” you groan, squeezing his hand so hard he chokes on the sake he’s sipping.

“There, there. Beauty is a process,” Nekomata purrs as his delicate hands, worn with age and experience, tap the sharp bamboo needle into your skin. 

This is your fourth session with him. The tiger on your back is nowhere near done, but you’re willing to go through this traditional process. 

You’ve left behind your day job and normal life to join Kuroo along in his journey with the yakuza. Each session bears new stories of the years which you’ve spent apart, gently tugging the both of you closer with the invisible red string that is looped around your pinkies. You curse once more, and change the position of your head so that your cheek is on his thigh now.

“Anyways… Tell me. Tell me about the time you left home.”

Your quiet voice causes the man to stiffen a little. He sets the little sake cup down, leaning back on one hand with a heavy sigh. You feel Kuroo’s fingers gently brush away some stray hair from your face so that he can see you better. His heart skips a beat at the way your eyes stare up at him.

“That was when I ran away to join Nekoma. I know I was always getting into fights as a student… And I never really studied that much, but still passed. Do you remember? Man, you would get mad because you failed your maths paper while I got an A,” Kuroo laughs a little, and tilts his head back to stare at the ceiling.

“But I didn’t want any of that. Didn’t want to get stuck in an office job, slaving away with a boss breathing down my neck, suffer from male pattern balding at 35 and then retire at 70 and spend my time sweeping the roads, wishing I had a better life.”

Kuroo pauses to wet his throat with a sip of sake. He turns the small cup in his fingers, holding it up to the light and observing the glazed patterns.

“So I came and found Nekomata and everyone else. And I had a way better time screwing around and dealing in the casinos. It’s something different, something fun. There’s a strange thrill in being able to… Are you asleep? Already?”

His voice drops to a lower volume as he realises that your eyelids have fallen shut. Your breathing is slow and quiet, body relaxed against the floor. Kuroo can’t help but smile a little. He watches as your eyelashes tickle your cheekbones, and feel your warm breath against his thigh.

He made a big bet, and he’s won the game. As long as you’re by his side, he’s not afraid of losing anything else, not even his entire fortune.

Kuroo quietly nurses his sake once more before rubbing his thumb over your knuckles. You stir beneath his touch, nuzzling closer to him. The only sounds that fill the room are Nekomata’s quiet heaves for air, your muffled snores, and the flow of alcohol into his cup.

He stares back up at the ceiling once more. He wonders if you’ll ever leave him for a life with more security.

A year later, as your fingers intertwine with the clinking of wedding bands on your fingers, he stares into your eyes with adoration that exists only for you. Your lips meet over the cheering of a room full of friends and brothers, your cheeks warming at his hand that caresses it. Kuroo lays his forehead against yours.

He catches the faint scent of the same perfume he gifted you at the casino. The first bottle is empty, but you couldn’t help but ask Kuroo to get you another one. How can he say no?

You’ve taken the choice to go all in and he’s reciprocated the affection in which you shower him with. Your eyelashes flutter as you stare into his eyes. They draw you in, and you squeeze his hand gently.

The tigers on your back coil themselves together, pacing around each other with quiet growls and ferocious snarls. They find comfort in each other’s strengths, and seek the courage to take another step forward together. 

You kiss him once more.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟓


	45. You Pull Away

“A-ah! Kuroo! Stop!” You panted, planting a hand firmly against his chest to bring some distance between the both of you. 

You averted your gaze from him, face burning. How did he have the nerve to continue kissing you like that? Was he insane?

“Freeze, it’s the police! We have a warrant to search your premises. You have the right to remain silent and-”

Kuroo frowned as he carefully helped you up. He cradled you against his chest, rubbing soothing circles into your back.

“Who is this?”

What seemed to be the lead police officer questioned, giving you a wary glance.

“Uh, um, my partner,” Kuroo blabbered. 

He gave the officers a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a little… Shocking to be walked in on while we’re making out,” Kuroo chuckled airily.

You gave the officers a nervous nod, and leaned your head against Kuroo’s shoulder gently.

“…I see. Can you please stand with your hands against the wall?”

You nearly tripped over your own feet as you leaned against the wall. You chewed on your lower lip as you were patted down. Did you seem too suspicious? Well, definitely. You had just helped four wanted convicts escape, while pretending the one right in front of you was innocent. Of course you would be nervous and look suspicious!

You gulped as the officers muttered amongst themselves.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we will have to take you to the station for some questioning.”

“Hm? Of course.” 

He seemed nonchalant as he was handcuffed, but Kuroo sent Kenma a knowing look, followed with one towards you as well. The coil in your chest only tightened as he was led out of the room.

“And you too. We will have to ask you some questions as well.”

“O-oh. Okay.”

You stuck your hands behind your back, wincing at the cold metal snapped around your wrists. What was going to happen now? You weren’t sure if you wanted to know.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟒𝟔


	46. Kuroo's End 3

You sift through your mail. Bill, bill, bill, and… A familiar black envelope is in your hands, and you stare in wonder at the wax seal once more. Your fingers are quick to rip it off and slide out the letter that is handwritten this time.

A playing card falls out too, but you choose to read the letter first.

**_‘I’m sorry I got you involved in all of this. You must be wondering, Kuroo’s really stupid, huh? Playing with fate and tempting the devil with the work I do isn’t the sort of smart thing you would have expected me to try out. Anyways, I’ll probably end up in jail for a bit for all the accumulated crimes I’ve built up. That is, if I don’t run out first, haha!_ **

**_If you need anything, you can always find Kenma. I’ll write his email address down at the bottom later. Really, don’t hesitate. It’s the least I can do, after you put up with me and all my shenanigans._ **

**_I don’t think we’ll see each other much after this. Better for you to be separated from all this as much as you can. I’ll miss you. Don’t forget about me._ **

**_Stay safe.  
_ **

**_\- Kuroo’_ **

You slide down your wall and bury your face in your knees, sobs wracking your shoulders as you clutch at your pajama shirt. Why does it hurt so much? Your chest feels like it’s about to split open with the amount of heaving you’re doing - gasping for air, attempting to grab onto something that will anchor you to reality.

To grab onto anything that isn’t money, gambling, or a man with messy black hair.

The letter involuntarily crumples itself in your shaking fist, before dropping onto the ground next to the joker card. It lies face up, mocking you with its jester uniform and open mouthed chortle.

Your eyes ache and your nose is too clogged for you to breathe properly. You finally look up, the back of yours hands roughly wiping at your cheekbones. He didn’t deserve another tear. Not after he had led you into this entire mess and played with you as if you were a pawn in his game.

Yet, hot tears continue to slide down your cheeks despite your best attempt to hold them in. Why?

Why had Kuroo left you once more? 

Your lips remember his in a manner no other can replace. You’re aching, craving, yearning for him. But he’s decided to never see you again by deciding to ‘keep you safe’. It seems like a bad excuse for keeping you at an arm's length so that he won’t have to deal with you.

Was that all that he wanted in the first place?

To start a game with you, pull a bluff, and then walk away with his pot?

To think that you were simply a faceless card in his deck - it makes your fingers clutch at your damp shirt, as if you will be able to hold your heart together by doing so. Not a tear more. Not a single one for him. You rub your eyes harshly once more, ripping the letter into shreds before tossing it all away into your bin. 

A year later, and it’s easy to forget about him, really. Just follow the same steps everyday without fail: do not think about him. Do not see the crumpled receipts from the casino in your wallet. Instead, throw them away. Do not remind yourself of the shredded letter, sitting in its envelope in your bedside drawer. Do not use the perfume, and lock it away in your wardrobe. 

Do not think of him. Do not give yourself the opportunity to slip up.

As you walk down the corridor of your office, mind occupied with work related matters, your powerful stride slows down to a halt. You watch a man climb out of a car, shaking hands with your colleague. You hold your breath. The same black hair, the same shoulder width, the same cloth on his suit- You hear the beating of your heart in your ears, and your grip on your file grows tighter without you realising it. 

The man turns around, but he looks nothing like him. His nose is too blunt, eyebrows too near, cheekbones nowhere as high. You let your eyes linger on him for a second longer, before you continue your march down to your meeting room.

Do not think of him. Not at all.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	47. Oikawa's Route

☆*:.｡. You have unlocked Oikawa’s Route.｡.:*☆

> Remember, every choice matters. Can you make it to the end without suffering the consequences?
> 
> [ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟒𝟖


	48. Oikawa Choice 1

It had been a few days since you started showing up at the casino every evening.

“Hey, if I bet, will you call me?”

You tried to ignore Oikawa’s horrible pickup line, instead choosing to focus on arranging your cards neatly in your hand. Daichi let out an annoyed groan next to you.

“Oikawa, can you shut up? You know that those lines are probably just going to chase any potential partners away instead, right?” Bokuto complained. 

He, too, was sick and tired of all the terrible lines that Oikawa had begun belting since you ever arrived. You rubbed your temples with your index fingers. 

“He has to use those lines since his face can’t make up for him, I guess,” Kuroo said cooly, and the entire room erupted into chaos instantly. 

Bokuto was laughing boisterously at a flustered Oikawa, who in return was screaming at Kuroo while pointing an incriminating finger at him. Ushijima remained as stoic as ever. You were sure that with the amount of eye rolls you had recently done, your eyes were going to fall out of their sockets soon.

“Guys, keep it down! I don’t understand how I put up with you all…” you sighed once Bokuto’s chuckles had been reduced to quiet giggles, and Oikawa had reluctantly sat back down. 

That did not, however, stop him from glowering in his seat. He whined quietly to Ushijima, who only ignored him.

“Can’t we have a single game without World War Three happening in this room?”

Exasperated, you picked up your glass to gulp what was left of it down, only to find out that it was empty. You grumbled. Great. Not like anything could get any better for you, after all. Daichi spotted your annoyance and went to grab your preferred drink from the cabinet for you.

You thanked him under your breath and let out another soft sigh. The rest of the men quietened down (besides Ushijima, who was always quiet, anyways) and the next few games were much more peaceful than any other that you had experienced before with them.

Perhaps you had been too harsh? You ignored the thought for a while as you shuffled through the deck, as it was your turn to be the dealer now. You wordlessly began to deal out the cards.

“Hey, I had a flush!” Oikawa suddenly cried out and everyone’s eyes shot over to him. 

Was he being serious right now? Oikawa must actually be stupid if he was meaning to reveal his entire hand.

“You idiot! Why would you say that out loud?” you hissed, and resisted the urge to reach over and bonk his pretty head. 

Wait, pretty? No, not pretty!

“Wait, what do you mean ‘had’, Oikawa?” Daichi said in confusion. 

Ushijima nodded as well.

“Well, I had one, until the cutie pie over here decided to steal my heart,” Oikawa winked at you, and for a second, you swore that your soul had left your body. 

You were ready to murder the man if you were given the chance. You suddenly sympathised with Iwaizumi, who had to deal with him all the time.

“Get out.”

“Huh?”

“Get out! Before I decide to… I don’t know! Do something! Go!”

You were flustered as you dragged Oikawa out of his chair by his wrist. He too, was in a stupor by your unexpected reaction. He stumbled over his feet and dropped his cards on the table as you wrenched the door open. The men watched you as you did so, eerily silent. The door clicked shut behind you.

“Don’t be so rough! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Oikawa pleaded, his cries echoing down the corridor. 

You finally let go of him and turned around so that you were facing each other. Your face was pinched into a pout.

“Must you really keep saying these kinds of things? Do you know how embarrassed I feel in front of everyone else?” you chided and Oikawa actually looked sorry for a moment. 

He pursed his lips and let out a heavy sigh.

“Sorry… But you’re so cute when you get mad, you know? I can’t help teasing you.”

You crossed your arms over your chest as you heard his ridiculous statement. It didn’t make you want to kick him in the balls any less. You resisted the flush of anger that rushed through you like a wildfire, nearly burning every shred of self control you had left.

“Then why don’t you try to see how cute I am when I’m not mad, Oikawa?” you seethed through your very teeth. 

Only when you saw the widening of his eyes, did the full reality of what you had just said sink into you. Shit.

“I-I… Huh? O-okay…” Oikawa mumbled, turning his face away from you, hoping that you didn’t see how red his cheeks were. 

You were equally awkward, staring at your feet as if they were the most interesting thing you had ever seen. There was an air of silent tension hanging between the both of you heavily.

“Well, uh, maybe I’ll get another chance if you follow me home tonight, hm?”

Your eyes shot back up to him. Oikawa was insufferable and you began to stammer, utterly mortified by his question.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐚𝐲 𝐘𝐞𝐬 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟒𝟗

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐚𝐲 𝐍𝐨 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓𝟎


	49. You Say Yes

“I-I mean, well, I don’t mind. But you better make up for how badly you’ve been treating me!”

Your face was so hot you were sure that you could combust at any second. You licked your lips and played with the hem of your collar, twisting the fabric about nervously between your fingers. What were you even saying? You couldn’t believe the words that had come out of your own mouth.

“Anyways! I need to get back to dealing the cards,” you rushed, and sped past Oikawa back into the room. 

He didn’t follow you back in, which was a little strange. You had expected him to. After all, since he had invited you back to his house (for activities you presumed were… Intimate.), you presumed that he would be accompanying you for the rest of the night as well.

Whatever, it didn’t matter, anyways. As long as you saw him at the end of the night.

You carried on playing with the rest till it was your time to leave. Oikawa still had not yet returned. You said your goodbyes and walked around the casino looking for the male. Much to your disappointment, he was nowhere to be found. Iwaizumi had also disappeared.

Kenma refused to tell you where the pair had gone.

You had no choice but to return home, alone. You kept thinking over what you had said in the corridor earlier. Had Oikawa not wanted you to actually follow him back? Then, in that case, what was the point in asking you in the first place?

He was probably just trying to play with you again. Nothing good ever arose from being around flirty guys, anyways. It was for the best that he had gone back.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓𝟏


	50. You Say No

“No, ew!”

Your heart was hammering in your chest as you shook your head wildly from side to side. As if that wasn’t enough to show how you didn’t want to ‘follow him home’ (for some… presumably intimate actions), your hands were covering your warm face.

The audacity!

“Ewww, Oikawa!” you screeched before dashing back into the room, slamming the door shut behind you. 

Bokuto jumped, choking on his drink with loud hacks. Kuroo immediately ran over to whack him between his shoulder blades.

“What the hell, can’t you be a little gentler with the door?” Kuroo hissed, but you were too overwhelmed to even reply. 

You could only chew on your lower lip, fists clenched, as you repeated what Oikawa had said in your head over and over again. You felt as if your heart was going to burst out of your chest from how hard it was beating, and you were utterly enraged by the effect he had on you.

“Can you believe him?”

“Believe who?”

Ushijima questioned as you stomped back over to your seat, sitting down with a huff. Daichi wordlessly topped up your glass.

“Oikawa! He asked me if I wanted to go back to his home tonight!”

While you ranted, you took a small break to swallow back your drink. Your heart was still racing from the words that had left the brunette’s mouth. Stupid, stupid Oikawa! Couldn’t he read the room and know when to not say such things? It was his fault that he was such a charmer!

Kuroo raised an eyebrow in question. 

“Did you agree?” Ushijima continued rather matter-of-factly. 

You nearly spat out your drink in his face.

“Of course not! I barely know the man, and he’s been so… Irritating with all his pick up lines and shit,” you replied incredulously. 

He blinked at you, olive eyes seemingly searching out your very soul. You looked away a little uncomfortably and sighed once more.

“Let’s just play something already.”

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓𝟐


	51. Oikawa's End 1

You weren’t really sure when you started drifting from Oikawa. Was it the way he averted his eyes from you, instead chatting with Ushijima when there was already nothing to talk about? Or was it when you saw him quickly walk away when he realised you were leaving the casino at the same time as him, so that he wouldn’t have to make small talk?

You didn’t know what to do. Acceptance came in the form of silent compliance as you didn’t bother trying to reconcile this… Wordless distancing that Oikawa had shoved between the both of you. Maybe you should have said something. Maybe then, everything would have been turned around (for the better?).

The chair on the extreme right of the table was strangely empty these days. You tried not to stare too much at it, but the hollowness it left in your chest was pretty undeniable.

“Do any of you know where Oikawa went?” you quietly asked. Kuroo paused from his shuffling to look up at you briefly, before deflecting his gaze back to the cards in his hands. 

Ushijima was the one who answered you.

“He went back home.”

His answer was clear and concise. Oikawa had left - for a reason you could not fathom. You took a shaky breath and hoped that no one noticed how your fingers had curled themselves up to prevent any trembling. Why had he gone?

You gulped back the saliva that had pooled in your mouth, swallowing back all the unsaid words you wished you had uttered when the time was still right. How simple it seemed now. If only you had opened your mouth to question him, if only you had taken the opportunities that had slipped from your grasp without you even noticing.

You would never see him again, you supposed. You wondered if you would be fine with that. Maybe you would, you hadn’t interacted that much with him, anyways.

Maybe you wouldn’t.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	52. Oikawa's Choice 2

“Hey, Oikawa invited us over to his headquarters branch for games tonight. Are you coming?”

“Headquarters? What the hell is that? Is he some kind of, I don’t know, mafia boss?”

The voice on the other side of the phone laughed at you, with some snorts included in between. Kuroo wheezed for air.

“Oh my- Did you hear that? A mafia boss? Oh, oh!”

“I can hear you, Kuroo,” you murmured, rolling about your bed and finally coming to a comfortable position. 

You hugged a pillow to your chest and buried your chin into the soft material. Your bed was warm as you had still woken up, and you relished in that post sleep haze as you listened to Kuroo talk.

“Do you want to though? It’s going to be at a… Uh… Sex hotel.”

“A what!?”

“Sex hotel.”

“His headquarters are at a sex hotel!?”

You shot up in bed, eyes wide as you couldn’t believe what you were hearing. What the actual hell was Oikawa doing? You couldn’t believe your ears as Kuroo launched into another series of mocking guffaws. You gripped your covers tightly, the material bunching up under your fingers.

“Um, yeah! Weird, I know, but that’s not the question right now. Are you gonna show up? I’ll text you the address, you can take a cab there or something.”

“O-okay. Thanks. Bye, Kuroo.”

He hung up without another word, and your phone soon pinged with a message from him. A sex hotel. You copied the address into Coogle Maps and Kuroo hadn’t been lying. The images you were shown definitely had a large ‘SEX HOTEL’ sign over the building’s facade, as well as gaudy neon lights. It kind of suited Oikawa, you supposed.

The comments and five star ratings on the hotel had you reeling, and you quickly put your phone away. You didn’t have to read stuff like that, and certainly not of the man who had asked you to follow him home. What would have happened if you did.

You chose not to dwell on it. Should you go, though? The idea of a man with a sex hotel as his HQ intrigued you, and you did want to find out more. But… it was Oikawa. You struggled to decide, weighing the two options in question.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐆𝐨 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓𝟑

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐆𝐨 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓𝟒


	53. You Go

Eh, how bad could a sex hotel be? You shrugged it off, and decided to get ready for your meeting at the new location. You were soon in a cab on the way to the hotel. You drove past neon lights that were being switched on as the night began to settle, as well as an increasing number of scantily clad people the closer you got to Oikawa’s ‘HQ’.

You were greeted with cute girls in skimpy maid costumes, and dashing young men holding half full glasses of beer on the streets. You spotted Kuroo glancing about outside the same hotel that you had seen on Coogle Maps. Rushing over, you relaxed at his presence next to you.

“Hey, just in time. Everyone’s inside already.”

The lobby was empty, save for a university couple shyly checking out the prices on a touchscreen board. Kuroo led you to the lift and the both of you were sent up to the third floor. You then turned around a few corners, before he opened the door to room number two.

“Kuroo! You’re here! Come, come, grab a seat.”

The room was rather large, and the hot pink bed in the middle of the room had the men sitting on it. A few call girls and boys lounged about, most of them sipping drinks or chatting to one another. One particular girl was talking with Bokuto, both of them getting pretty handsy. You let your eyes dart about the room.

There was a huge mirror on the ceiling, as well as a flat screen TV facing the bed. The bathroom walls were made of glass. How were you supposed to pee with everyone staring at you? You made a mental note not to drink too much that night. Oikawa, Ushijima and Bokuto were dressed in matching pajama sets, which was quite comical.

“It’s a slumber party! I’m so glad you could make it, honey. Do you want a set too? Kuroo! You should change into one!”

Oikawa was certainly excited for everyone to visit him here. You shook your head - you were fine with how you were dressed, thank you very much. Kicking off your shoes, you sat on the large bed, the mattress dipping under your weight. Looking up, you suppressed your laughter at Ushijima who had a lopsided sleeping cap on his head.

Kuroo had his jacket taken away by a lady dressed in a short nurse’s uniform, and Oikawa handed him the deck of playing cards.

“Am I supposed to be the one shuffling all the time?”

He rolled his eyes, but took the cards anyway. His longer fingers deftly shuffled the deck, even as he continued in a relaxed conversation with Daichi. You fiddled with the pink bed sheets, trying not to move around too much. Bokuto was bouncing about so excitedly that it felt as if you were sitting on a ride at a carnival.

“Well, you are the casino owner, Kuroo.” Oikawa replied and he turned to face the girl that Bokuto had been talking with. 

He tapped on her cheek, forcing her to turn around so that he could kiss her. You blinked in surprise, numbly watching their lips mould over each other’s, as well as a confused Bokuto.

“Eh? Oikawa? Is she your girlfriend? Why are you kissing her? Don’t you want to talk more, Mina?”

You felt a tad bad for him as he watched the pair continue kissing. Daichi pulled a disgusted face. 

Well, what had you expected? If Oikawa Tooru was a man who had ‘headquarters’ at a sex hotel, the idea that he slept around very often wasn’t too far fetched, after all.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓𝟓


	54. You Don't Go

Why should you even go? Oikawa was a suspicious man, by any of your guesses, and you couldn’t see any reason as to why you should show up, anyways. You could always go back to the casino the next day. Besides, you would be able to catch a break. Your head had been swimming with poker and money and card games - you were exhausted.

Self-care day it was, then!

You got out of bed and hurried to get your chores done with. There had been a pile of clothes that were growing and you quickly dumped them into the washing machine, and went to get lunch going as well. You switched on some of your favourite music, dancing around as you prepared something to eat.

Your singing filled the house and you felt free, for once. You were light on your feet and you even managed to clean up your house. You had gone grocery shopping, and picked up a new plant. Why were you so… Happy?

The question solemnised your mood for a second. You, however, decided to toss that thought away for now. You were to enjoy yourself without the interference of any men, or gambling, for that matter. One should always take a break when given the opportunity.

You ordered in your favourite food, and even streamed a movie you had been meaning to watch for a while. It was relaxing, for sure. You hummed as you did the dishes, yet, something was… Missing. You couldn’t pinpoint the reason for sure, but there was surely a part of you that yearned to go and see Oikawa.

You shook your head. Nope, no thoughts about the casino or anything! Besides, no one had even texted you the entire day. Why should you even care?

Turning back to your TV, you continued munching on your snacks.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	55. Oikawa's Choice 3

“Eh, let’s play something different!” Oikawa suggested. 

Playing on the bed had made you a little sleepy, as you hugged a pink pillow to your chest. Around you lounged the call girls and boys in various states of disarray. Most of them were slung over Oikawa and Kuroo, while Daichi strangely had no one near him at all.

“Oh, let’s play truth or dare! That’s a fun slumber party game!” Mina, from earlier, suggested excitedly with a pretty pout. 

You tried to tear your eyes off of her, especially as she went back to kissing Oikawa right after. What was wrong with you? You pinched your thigh and awkwardly moved away from a male that was inching closer to you. He got the idea, backing off afterwards.

“Oh, yes. That sounds fun!”

Shouts and laughter filled the room as almost everyone was involved in the game. Bokuto had somehow lost half his clothes, while Ushijima had been dared to dunk his head down the toilet bowl. You weren’t quite sure why he did it, especially you didn’t appreciate toilet water dripping onto the bed.

Daichi had been smart enough not to ask for dares, and resilient enough to resist everyone’s cajoling. Though, now you knew about his first kiss (very sloppy - you pitied the poor girl) and how he had tripped over Kuroo’s shoe once, which landed him face first into a puddle.

Your cheeks were aching from laughing so hard the entire night. You excused yourself to take a breather, leaving the room so that you could escape the endless supply of drinks and dares.

As you watched the fluorescent lights in the corridor glow from pinks into purples, the door opened and you watched Oikawa close it behind him. You raised an eyebrow and crossed your arms.

“What are you doing out here?”

His cheeks were rosy with the alcohol that he had been drinking, while his lips were puffy and smeared with Mina’s lipstick. He grinned happily when he saw you, though.

“Why did you leave, hun? We were having so much fun~”

You stumbled a few steps back as Oikawa launched himself into your arms, and you struggled to stand upright under his weight. His nightcap fell onto the floor. You felt his warm breath brush against your neck, and you licked your dry lips.

“Oikawa, you’re drunk. Can you stand?”

“Huh? I’m standing already, though…” he mumbled sleepily and buried his face into your shoulder, whining quietly.

You stood still, trying to hold him up. It was strangely intimate - you could hear the faint roar of giggles from the room that was muffled by the walls, while Oikawa was sleepily mumbling incoherent words into your neck.

“You know… You should come work for me. Then I would get to see you… All the time!” Oikawa gasped, as if he had just uttered a revolutionary statement. 

He pulled away from your neck giddily, and you stared at his pink face in awe. His pretty brown eyes were wide open, lips curving into a beautiful smile. You almost felt your heart skip a beat.

“You should! You should! You’ll do it, right? You will! I’m so excited! Oh, I have to tell Iwa, he’ll get everything ready for you. Come, come, let’s go find him now! Iwa! Iwa!”

You found yourself stumbling back into the room after Oikawa, who called out to the other male. You were pretty shocked and confused by the sudden decision that the brunette had made on your behalf. But, oh well, it wasn’t like you had much to do now, after all. 

Working for Oikawa didn’t sound that bad.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐀𝐬 𝐀 𝐒𝐞𝐱 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓𝟔

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐀𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐤] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓𝟕


	56. You Work As A Sex Worker

Over the next few days, you found yourself holed up in the back of the same sex hotel you had visited with Kuroo and the rest. You peered once more at your face in the bathroom mirror, touching up some makeup and screwing your face into different expressions.

Satisfied, you toddled back over to the bed and awaited the phone call that was to arrive from the front desk. You would sit here, waiting for whoever that had requested your services. Your eyes lingered on the covers of the hot pink bed. You had been here, not too long ago, with everyone else.

It was strangely sobering as you recalled the night of fun and games, versus the position you were in right now.

The phone rang with a shrill trill, making you jump. You picked it up hastily right after.

“Your client will be up there in 15 minutes. He’s a middle aged businessman, and purchased package B.”

“Businessman, package B. Got it,” you replied breathily.

You swallowed the brick in your throat, as you heard Iwaizumi on the other end say his goodbyes. 

“Iwaizumi?” you interjected.

His farewell was cut short by you.

“Have you seen Oikawa around recently?” 

Your tone was mildly desperate, and the male paused, hesitating, before he replied to you. Your heart sunk at his answer.

“No, sorry. Goodbye.”

He hung up with a quiet click, and you were left listening to the prolonged dial tone. You only put the phone back down a few seconds later. Sitting still, you looked down at your hands. 

Of course Oikawa abandoned you. All he wanted was to use you for his ‘company’ and then he would toss you aside. That was all that there was to it, right? You felt hot tears begin to fill your eyes, but you willed yourself not to cry, as you didn’t want to ruin your makeup.

You thought of Oikawa and his dizzying smile - his sparkly eyes and soft brown hair, his pure confidence and delight in seeing you was now gone. Where was he? Where had he gone? 

Why had he left?

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	57. You Work At The Front Desk

“…So you can access the rooms from this tablet, and you have to go clean up 15 minutes after it shows that the customers have left. It’s to protect their privacy.”

You nodded along to Iwaizumi’s words, seriously taking down notes on your phone as the male rambled away. You had decided to work at the front desk in the hotel. Most of your work revolved around keeping the building clean, and sending up any items that the customers had ordered.

“That’s about it. I’m mostly here all the time, so ask away if you need anything.”

Iwaizumi was surprisingly… nNice. The first time the both of you had met, you had taken him to be rash and fierce. Or maybe, it was just around Oikawa where he was like that? Right now, as you stood in the staff room, the man even seemed a little awkward as he pushed the tablet towards you.

You took it in your hands, and gave him a soft ‘thank you’ before scurrying over to your chair by the counter. It had an opaque panel so that there were only a few inches at the bottom where you could slide the room keys over to the customers. All payment was by credit card. 

Staring at the tablet before you, you gave it a few experimental taps to see how you were supposed to access the applications for the room services. Chewing on your lower lip in focus, you didn’t notice someone creep to the front of the counter.

“Yoohoo! Hard at work, I see- ACK!”

You screamed as Oikawa bent over, peeking at you. You had thought he was some kind of creep, and had unconsciously slid the tablet through the gap that the panel had left. The tablet had hit him right in the face. On the other side, Oikawa was groaning in pain, and presumably rolling on the floor in agony. You rushed behind Iwaizumi, who nearly broke off the door knob as he yanked the door open.

“My face! My face! Ahhh!” Oikawa cried out.

Indeed, he was on his ass, the tablet face down on the floor next to him.However, his whimpers stopped as he looked up, and his eyes widened in what you assumed to be fear. You turned as well to look, only to jump back. Iwaizumi was literally radiating pure rage.

“Is the tablet screen cracked?” he asked, voice dangerously low.

Oikawa wordlessly moved to tilt the tablet up, peeking at the glass screen. He swallowed.

“Y-yes,” he replied meekly, forgetting about the bruise that was starting to form on his nose bridge.

You silently slipped back into the room, turning a blind eye to the thrashing that was happening outside, as well as all the screams that escaped Oikawa. You prayed that he wouldn’t be beaten to death, and that no customers would be scared away.

Forget what you said about Iwaizumi being nice - he was definitely very, very scary.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓𝟖


	58. Oikawa's Choice 4

“Iwa, Iwa!”

You looked up from the tablet on the table to see Oikawa prancing over to Iwaizumi, who had an irritated look on his face. You had been working at the hotel for a week or so now (and the bruise was gone from Oikawa’s face). Iwaizumi held a pencil between his long fingers, scribbling away in the account books

“What do you want?”

“Eh, can’t you be a little nicer? Come on, let’s go out for beer! There’s a really cute hostess club that just opened, it’s only fair that we pay them a visit, right? We’ve got to make friends with all our neighbours!”

You swore you saw a vein bulge in Iwaizumi’s neck. You chuckled to yourself, turning back to the touch screen before you. A room had just been vacated, and you were set to go clean up in 15 minutes. It wasn’t the… cleanest job around (too many fluids. Way too many.), but you were able to chat with the odd pair of men on subjects other than gambling, so you didn’t mind it that much.

“Come on, let’s go!”

“Oikawa, I have to settle this before the cops come after your flat ass.”

“Flat ass!?”

Oikawa screeched and Iwaizumi squeezed his eyes shut. He began to tap the end of the pencil rapidly against the table, trying not to lose his temper. You commended his efforts. Not turning around, you placidly poked away at the tablet as you checked which rooms were still in use.

“Heyyy, Iwa is being mean again. Why don’t we go out for a snack together, hm?”

You froze as Oikawa leaned his weight onto a supporting hand that was on the back of your chair. His face was dangerously close to yours and he peered forward, humming quietly to himself. You could smell the faint scent of his cologne wafting off of him. You felt a little dizzy and tried not to move, in case you ended up bumping into him.

“Huh? Mean? Sorry that I have a better work ethic than you, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi grunted from behind.

You could practically hear his eyes rolling. You finally relaxed as Oikawa leaned back up, and you knew that a visible pout was already forming on the man’s face. 

“Come on, let’s go. Iwa is just mad he can’t have fun like us,” he stuck his tongue out, blowing a raspberry childishly.

This time, Iwaizumi’s annoyance was punctuated with a harsh slap to the back of Oikawa’s head.

“Ouchies!” he cried out, holding his afflicted skull.

You snorted at the expression he had used. Standing up, you gave the tablet a last stab with your finger to switch it off, and gave a quick glance to the clock on the wall.

“I’ll be taking my lunch break now, then. See you soon, Hajime.”

Iwaizumi grunted back in response, shifting in his seat. Oikawa had his jaw slack as you gathered up your things and slung your bag over your shoulder.

“Huh? You call Iwa Hajime? I don’t even call him Hajime! That’s not fair! You should call me Tooru, then!” He whined as the both of you began to walk out of the staff room and into the hotel lounge.

“Nuh-uh. No way, Oikawa,” you grinned, much to his dismay.

Sulking, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants as you stepped out onto the sidewalk.

“What do you want to eat for lunch?” he asked as you paused.

You squinted at the stalls opposite the road, and stuck the tip of your tongue out between your lips as you struggled to pick what you were to have for your meal.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟓𝟗

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐔𝐝𝐨𝐧 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟎


	59. You Choose Ramen

“Ramen. I want to eat ramen,” you decided, and you began to walk in the direction of the ramen stall. It was an old fashioned street stall, and a large sheet of plastic separated the tiny sitting area from the streets outside. You slipped in, sitting down and glancing at the menu that was written on the metal fold-out table.

It was hot, and sweat began to make your underarms and forehead slick with perspiration. The tiny fan in the corner of the stall did nothing to help cool you down.

“I’ll have the miso ramen, please.”

“And I’ll have the super spicy ramen, please!”

You looked over at Oikawa in horror. Was he kidding?

“Are you sure you can handle it, young man?” 

Even the stall owner stared at him in brief disbelief. Oikawa glanced between the two of you with a face that read ‘Trust me on this’. You didn’t trust him at all. In fact, you were already texting Iwaizumi to prepare some stomach antacids for Oikawa when you got back to the hotel.

You gulped down a glass of ice water, relishing in the coolness that doused the flames in your body. Oikawa was simply crazy for wanting to eat spicy ramen in such terrible weather. Your food was soon served, and you dug in hungrily. The soup was piping hot, however, and you couldn’t endure it to shove the noodles down your throat.

“Oh- Oh my- Shit, shit, shit,” Oikawa cursed next to you, fanning his mouth as he took alternating gulps of water between his bites of ramen.

You had the audacity to cackle at his pain.

“I told you! You shouldn’t have gone for the spicy one!” you laughed, thwacking him on his back, which only caused him to cough more.

The chef looked at the both of you, who bickered like an old couple. Oikawa was red in the face, and his long sleeved shirt was dark with sweat. You almost pitied him enough to attempt to fan him off with your floppy hand. 

What a dumbass, you thought, as you continued to chuckle at his pain.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟏


	60. You Choose Udon

“Udon. I want to eat udon,” you decided, and you began to walk in the direction of the udon stall. It was an old fashioned street stall, and a large sheet of plastic separated the tiny sitting area from the streets outside. You slipped in, sitting down and glancing at the menu that was written on the metal fold-out table.

It was hot, and sweat began to make your underarms and forehead slick with perspiration. The tiny fan in the corner of the stall did nothing to help cool you down.

“I’ll have the kitsune udon, please.”

“And I’ll have the beef udon, please!”

After placing your orders, you gulped down a glass of iced water, sighing in pleasure at the coolness that doused the heat in your body. The both of you chatted for a bit idly. Well, it was more of Oikawa complaining about Iwaizumi while you berated him for talking bad about his friend.

The udon was soon ready, and you eagerly tucked into your food. The talking stopped as you were busy slurping up your noodles and chewing away happily. The broth was rich, the noodles chewy, and the meal fulfilling. You huffed in satisfaction once you were done, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

“You know, I’m glad you’re working for me.”

You glanced over as the words left Oikawa’s lips. To be fair, you were pretty shocked by the sentimentality that he was speaking with, as he carefully balanced his chopsticks on the top of his bowl.

“You’re a hard worker. I’m looking forward to working more with you.”

Oikawa turned to face you with a small smile on his face. It was only for a brief second, but you felt your cheeks heat up. You swore that it was the weather outside that made you feel like that, but deep down, you knew that something (or someone), was tugging on your heartstrings silently.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟏


	61. Oikawa's Choice 5

“We should be getting back to the hotel soon, Let’s grab something for Hajime from the-”

Glancing at your watch, you rambled along as you and Oikawa left the food stall. However, your focus was broken by an ear piercing scream not too far away from you. You whipped your head up, only to feel the blood drain from your body.

A call girl was lying on the ground, sobbing in pain as she pressed a hand towards a stab wound on her belly. Meanwhile, Mina stood above her, the steak knife that she grasped dripping with fresh blood. Oikawa was frozen next to you.

For a few seconds, the world seemed to stop, and you weren’t really sure what was actually going on, as if the neurons in your brain had ceased firing just from the scene in front of you. The grip on your phone tightened. Stabbing. Blood. Hospital, now. 

Your fingers worked faster than your thoughts as you scrabbled to unlock your phone and dial for an ambulance. Mina looked up. Her hair was hanging in frizzy clumps about her face, and her makeup had clearly been smeared off. Her eyes were bloodshot.

“Tooru, Tooru! This is all your fault, you know?”

She giggled wildly, lifting the knife to her plump lips. A drop of blood fell on her tongue and she licked her teeth in twisted pleasure. The girl beneath her was crawling away the best she could, choked cries leaving her lips. A trail of blood followed her sluggish movements.

You felt Oikawa turn stone cold next to you, despite the sweat that beaded his hairline. He gulped, Adam’s apple bobbing. For once, he was reduced to silence. Your thumbs frantically dialled the three numbers for help. Mina looked down at the pathetic call girl, sucking her gums. 

She started to waltz over to the two of you.

“Mina, put the knife down. Now.”

Oikawa’s voice was tight and laced with nervousness, causing his words to quake a little. He wasn’t unfamiliar with bloodshed, but you were right next to him. What if you got hurt? What if you died? Unconsciously, he pushed you gently behind him. Mina widened her eyes in curiosity.

“Huh. I see how it is, Tooru! You replace me with some cheap ass rat just because you’re tired with me? Is that what things between us were? The poor virgin who can’t even get it up?”

“Mina, we weren’t dating. You’re a call girl, and I’m your boss,” Oikawa stated plainly.

Your hands were trembling, despite how much you tried to urge them not to. You whispered harshly into your phone about the location you were at, as well as the stabbing that was going on. Passersby were quick to disappear from the street. Mina tutted. She noticed you on the phone and lunged forward, eyes ablaze with an unquenchable lust for violence.

Oikawa grabbed you. You felt yourself lifted off your feet briefly, before stumbling away. Your phone clattered to the ground. 

You turned back with a concerned gaze. He held his arm, where the blade had narrowly missed him. His button up was ruined though, and you spotted a hint of green ink, as well as some scales. You felt a pit open in your chest, and the food you had just ate threatened to purge itself from your stomach.

Yakuza. 

Oikawa Tooru was from the yakuza.

Everything seemed to click now. How he always wore suits to cover his tattoos, the casino, the rest of the men, the sex hotel. You covered your mouth with your hand. Oikawa turned to you, glancing at where you were staring, eyes wide,

“Wait, no, I can explain-”

”That’s how things always go, Tooru. Don’t you see?” Mina turned to address you, waving the knife about. “Don’t you see how he’s always lying? He uses you, then poof! You’re no longer important, and you’re traded for some ugly, stinky bitch.”

She cackled as if what she had just said was the funniest thing ever. You gulped. The sun was beating down on you, and you were dizzy and tired. Tired from being disillusioned. Tired from having things hidden from you. Why hadn’t Oikawa told you earlier? Was he planning to tell you? Was he going to ship you off somewhere as a sex slave?

Your head swum with mind numbing thoughts and sweat trickled down your back. 

“So? What do you think? Don’t you see that we should just… Kill him?” Mina giggled and hopped excitedly from one foot to another.

Oikawa’s eyes were blank. He urged you to give him one last chance to redeem himself, and your heart was strained from all the directions it was being tugged to.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐚 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟐

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐚 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟒


	62. You Believe Mina

“I’m sorry, Oikawa,” you whispered, your words piercing his heart as if you were the one holding the knife.

He looked at you with a face that had finally caused his facade to fall away, flaking to the ground in pieces of fake smiles and jovial laughs. His eyes were glazed over with disappointment and anger and sadness and betrayal, all swirling in the whirlpools of chocolate brown that you were struggling to stay afloat in.

Mina let out a delighted noise, as she lunged towards Oikawa. You didn’t see what happened. You turned on your heel, running away as quickly as you could, blocking out the grunts of pain and the blare of an ambulance racing down the road. 

Turn back, turn back! 

You screamed at yourself in your head, tears flooding your eyes as you forced yourself to continue forward. You didn’t care where you were running to, as long as you were able to get away from Oikawa. 

Lies, lies, lies. All lies. All hidden from you on purpose. You gasped for air, your muscles aching and heavy from use as you slowed down to a stop. You weren’t sure where you were, but not that that mattered. You leaned against a wall, ignoring the curious looks that people gave you.

You felt like throwing up. You leaned over and had a hand against the burning brick wall of a random cafe, feeling your head throb with each pump of boiling blood that rushed through your veins. You retched drily and hung your head, before leaning your forehead against the wall as well.

Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. You should have turned back. Given him a second chance while you still had the opportunity- No! He didn’t deserve it, didn’t deserve your time and effort if all he wanted to do was exploit you.

Mina’s perfectly curated words of poison wrapped themselves around your throat, depriving you of any breaths that you could take. She was right. She was wrong. Tears fell from your eyes as you berated yourself at the confusion and conflict that welled up within you like an overfilled cup.

She was wrong.

She was wrong.

She was very, very wrong. But you couldn’t turn back to face Oikawa after all you had done was run away from him. Not now, and not any time soon.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟑


	63. Oikawa's End 2

As you stand outside the hotel, your eyes burn at the sight of the neon pink lights. You wonder if you should go in, to beg for forgiveness and face the wrath of Iwaizumi. Someone bumps into you from behind. There isn’t an apology. You swallow the brick in your throat and step past sliding glass doors into the lobby.

It’s quiet, as always. There’s some soft music playing from hidden speakers, and the bodies of naked men and women (their private parts cleverly hidden behind sheer robes) dance along to a silent song on the flat screen TV on a wall.

You brave the frenzied beating in your chest to walk up to the counter. The panel separates you from whoever they’ve hired to take over your position. Taking a deep breath, you wonder how your voice doesn’t shake as you present your request.

“Can I see Iwaizumi, please?”

There is silence. The taunting melody of a piano fills your ears. Your tongue snakes out between your lips, licking the chapped skin. 

“Sorry. I’m on the job now.”

Ah. Iwaizumi’s low voice grumbles from behind the panel, and you see some shadows move as he awkwardly adjusts his posture. You imagine him: sleeves rolled up to his elbows, inked skin taut with the corded muscle that runs below it. 

“Can I at least speak to you after your shift?”

“Sorry. No.”

Your grip on your bag tightens and you let out a breathy sigh. Of course. Of course he doesn’t want to see you. After all that you had done, running away from an innocent man that wasn’t deserving of such slander, you would have expected Iwaizumi to cut you off. Hell, you were surprised that he hadn’t sent his gang after you to drown your body at the bottom of a river by now.

You struggle to peel the soles of your shoes off of the tiled floor to shift your weight uneasily from one foot to another. Glancing around, it takes you a few seconds before you finally say your final farewell.

“I’m sorry. Thank you for having me here for those few weeks. Goodbye.”

You bow to the counter, though you know that Iwaizumi can barely see anything. He doesn’t respond. You then turn around and march outside, feeling the warm sun tingle your skin once more. You face the blue sky, shielding your eyes from the dazzling rays with your hand.

You think about Oikawa.

You think about his soft hair, his eyes that glinted under bright lights, his suits that fitted him like a glove, and the night when he asked you to work for him. You feel something fill your eyes, making your vision familiarly blur.

You squint up at the sun, ignoring the products of your fears and regrets that have not stopped manifesting since the day you ran.

You won’t run anymore. There’s nothing to run from. You can take this stroll by yourself, alone, with no brunettes or poker cards to worry about.

You take a step onto the pavement. You take another step. You can walk by yourself. A third step, a fourth, and a fifth. You stop, as tears roll down your cheeks and you stare at your shoes that refuse to take you forward.

You see his body, lying stiff on the pavement, blood pooling around his soon to be corpse as he watches you grow smaller in the distance. You see his body, lying in a coffin, face pale and eyes shielded from the sight of everyone mourning his death. 

You killed him.

How does it feel to be a murderer?

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	64. You Don't Believe Mina

“No. You’re wrong. Oikawa would never,” you retorted, curling your hands up into fists as you squared your shoulders. 

You stared confidently at Mina. She hissed in discontent, face screwing up into an ugly sneer. Oikawa’s eyes softened, and you swore that you saw them become glassy from tears that welled up. But there was no time to be sentimental, as Mina swung the knife at Oikawa with a banshee-like shriek.

“Die, die die! You traitorous asshole! You left me for a dog! What was I to you, huh!?”

You grabbed Oikawa’s hand, tugging him away out of instinct. You weren’t really sure what happened in the next few seconds. You heard some vague noises, and managed to pick out a bunch of yells between Mina and Oikawa.

Pain laced itself into your chest. You fell onto the ground, blinded momentarily by the sun that stung your eyes. Oikawa’s worried face popped into your field of vision. What was he saying? His mouth was wide as he mouthed your name, and your vision was getting blurrier. 

Wet. Something damp fell onto your cheek and you found enough strength to raise your hand to your face. Oikawa was crying. His hand was tight around your own, as his rough hand caressed your cheek. What was he saying? 

Your eyelids felt so, so heavy, and you longed to fall asleep. Each blink lulled you closer to rest. Oikawa disappeared, only to be replaced by a stern-faced Iwaizumi. You felt strong arms tie something around your chest and you gasped, eyes blown wide by the ache.

“Oi… Oikawa…” you groaned, before your eyes fell shut.

The last you heard was the sound of an ambulance siren growing nearer as Oikawa’s grip on your hand never loosened, even as your fingers fell slack in his own.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟓


	65. Oikawa's End 3

“Yahoo! I brought fruit for you, muffin.”

“Will you stop calling me muffin?”

“Why not? Isn’t it cute?”

Oikawa’s pout makes you roll your eyes. Though, this time, the action is a little more endearing. You sit up with the help of his stable hand, and you lean against the inclined hospital bed. Oikawa sits down next to you after slipping off his jacket. 

He’s already rambling off about how Iwaizumi smacked him across the head for wanting to bring you a watermelon. Don’t you like watermelon? How was it a bad idea? He should be the one in that hospital bed right now! What if he had a concussion!?

You thank the heavens above that Oikawa didn’t bring a watermelon. You weren’t quite sure how he was supposed to slice the entire thing in the tiny room you were warded in. Instead, he brings out a pocket knife and begins to slice an apple for you.

“Tooru, are you allowed to bring weapons here?”

He stares at the knife in his hand, before staring back at you.

“I’m not gonna kill anyone, though!” he pipes up, before offering you an apple slice.

You take it wordlessly and chuckle to yourself. A comfortable silence descends upon the room as you crunch away. You stare at his bare arms, and the dragon and clouds that decorate his skin. You don’t think too much of it, but Oikawa catches you staring.

“What do you think?”

His voice is quiet as he pauses his apple slicing, looking up at you earnestly with an unreadable expression on his face. However, his eyes sparkle, and he almost looks like a puppy eagerly awaiting your praise.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” you smile, reaching over to gently place your hand over his.

Oikawa’s face flushes and you swear you see steam pouring out of his ears, the tips adorably red. You laugh, throwing your head back, though you are quick to cough when pain blooms in your chest. Oikawa’s giddy grin drops and he helps you sip some water.

“You think it’s cool, huh?” he says cockily.

You refuse to reply to him, instead picking up a new apple slice to eat. Yeah, you think. It’s also pretty cool how a virgin is running a sex hotel business. You watch Oikawa stick his tongue out as he concentrates on peeling back the slightest amount of apple peel, before cutting out a portion so that it looks like a rabbit. He grins in accomplishment, before realising you’re staring at him.

“Tooru, come here,” you say softly, and scoot to the side on your bed, so that he has some space to sit on.

He ignores the embarrassment that tinges his cheeks pink once more, opting instead to leap onto the bed and nearly knocks you off. You lean onto his shoulder, though, and quietly interlock your free hand with his. He doesn’t complain about having half an apple left to cut up.

Oikawa gently kisses your temple as you continue watching the news that plays on TV, though it’s nothing interesting. You squeeze his hand. He squeezes it back.

“I love you,” he murmurs into your ear.

He can’t help the guilt that rises in his chest when he sees you hurt, in the hospital because of him and his stupid decisions. But he promises to change, to make life easier for you whenever you’re around. Oikawa silently wishes that you’ll never leave him. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to cope with a you-shaped hole in his heart. 

Because you’ve stolen the entire thing with your cute smiles, your enchanting laughter, the way you join Iwa in on teasing him, and in the moment when you sacrificed your life for his own.

He doesn’t know what he would do without you.

“I love you too,” you whisper back.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟓


	66. Ushijima's Route

☆*:.｡. You have unlocked Ushijima’s Route.｡.:*☆

> Remember, every choice matters. Can you make it to the end without suffering the consequences?
> 
> [ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟕


	67. Ushijima's Choice 1

It had been a few days since you started showing up at the casino every evening.

“Why is Tendou here?” Kuroo remarked with a hint of distaste in his tone. 

You looked over at the red haired man, who was pouring himself a nth drink from the whiskey decanter in the liquor cabinet. As usual, it seemed, he was humming an odd tune to himself.

“He invited himself in,” Ushijima stated as he picked at some nuts that were on the table, before carefully selecting a cashew and placing it in his mouth. 

He chewed and swallowed before speaking again.

“He’s here for the free alcohol.”

You couldn’t help but smile in amusement. Tendou seemed to have the biggest balls in the room, metaphorically. He never ever played any games with the group, merely sauntering in at his own time with a cheery “Waka!” before getting himself another drink. 

“You know you can just visit the bar outside, right?” Bokuto quipped but Tendou whipped around, pointing both index fingers at him as he opened his mouth to explain himself in a sing-song like voice.

“You see~ Whose tab do the drinks outside go on?”

He cupped his ear, facing Oikawa.

“…Ushijima’s.”

“Bingo! But here~ The drinks are on?”

He turned his ear to you.

“Kuroo’s?” You said with a little hesitation, but you knew you were right when Tendou flashed you a wide grin. 

His whiskey sloshed about dangerously in his cup, threatening to spill onto the carpet. You saw Kuroo’s eyes widen in fear momentarily.

“Ring ring ring~ We’ve got a winner, but I don’t have a prize. Maybe Waka Waka can get you one later, hm?”

Clapping his hand on your shoulder, he gave you a light squeeze before he skipped his way out of the room. The door clicked shut quietly behind him. 

Kuroo sighed, rubbing his temple with his fingers.

“Can I ban him from coming in here?” he groaned, before throwing his head back.

“I don’t see why you need to. He doesn’t interfere with-”

“Ushijima, he finds Tendou annoying.”

“Ah.”

He finally nodded in understanding after Daichi had gently prodded him in the right direction. Holding his chin, he seemed deep in thought for a few seconds. Everyone studied him as he did so.

“No. You can just ignore him.”

With his decision made, Ushijima went back to cleaning up the stacks of chips he had. They were always in columns of ten. No more, no less. The room gave a collective sigh, turning back to Kuroo expectantly before he dealt out cards for the next round.

The night flew by, with talks of money and if Oikawa could pull off tight leather pants or not. You were thoroughly spent at the end of it and your cheeks ached from all the laughing you had gone through. Swinging your drawstring bag in time with your steps, you followed the group as they headed to cash in their chips.

“Hey, Kai. How’s it been?” you asked as you swung your bag up onto the counter. 

The male laughed in response, giving you the same answer as he always did with an unreadable smile.

“It’s alright.”

You watched him pour your chips into an electronic scale, watching the numbers on the small screen go up rapidly. You always had the same exchange with Kai. A short and clipped routine that merely existed for formalities sake. He did the math with some punches of a calculator, before passing you your winnings in cash.

“Thank you for coming, see you again!”

You said your goodbyes in a similar fashion, turning around to leave. However, you nearly walked right into Ushijima’s chest. He stood before you, as stiff as a board. You blinked in surprise.

“Yes, Ushijima?”

Still stuffing your cash into your bag, it took you a few seconds before you looked back up at him. 

“Could you follow me for a minute?”

You nodded. You were still as confused as ever by his calm facade that was rarely traded for any other emotion besides passiveness. He took rather large strides, and you had to do an awkward half-run half-walk to catch up with him.

Ushijima led you outside the casino. The lobby was almost empty, though some patrons still lingered in small groups, chatting as they awaited their rides home. He stopped in front of a pillar where there was a potted plant and turned around to face you. He moved so swiftly that you nearly walked headfirst into him once more.

All of a sudden, Ushijima grabbed your hands in his. 

“Eh?”

You looked up at him in shock. His hands were rough and warm, enveloping your cold fingers.

“I like you. Would you go out on a date with me?”

“W-what!?”

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐦 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟖

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟔𝟗


	68. You Reject Him

“No way, Ushijima! I mean, we’ve just met, and I don’t know you that well… Sorry…”

Ushijima gently let go of your hands, and they dropped back down to your sides limply. He stared into your very soul as he nodded.

“I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”

His words were curt, as if he had just done a business transaction. You stared at your feet, awkwardly shifting your weight from one leg to the other.

“Thank you, though! It’s nice to know you see something in me…”

You rubbed the back of your neck with a breathy laugh. Ushijima still looked at you with an apathetic expression. Really? If he liked you, shouldn’t he have been a little… More shy? Or something? 

“Thank you. I’ll see you around, then.”

Ushijima bowed, his head inclined towards you. You awkwardly did the same and watched him walk away. He did not have a trace of embarrassment or sadness in his movements, and you would not have been able to tell the difference if he had just confessed his love to someone, or had just taken a piss.

You huffed a little. Not that Ushijima was a bad man of sorts - he kept to himself, that was all, which made it difficult to even pry a little into who he was as a person. Hell, the most you knew was that he wore the same coloured suit every day. Did he have a closet full of them, or did he just wear the same one everyday? You would never know.

Once Ushijima disappeared into the distance, you refocused. Time to get home.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟎


	69. You Rather Stay As Friends

“H-huh? What do you mean?”

“I like you. Would you like to go out on a date with me?”

Your face felt like it had been set on fire, and you shook your head quickly.

“Let’s get to know each other better first, Ushijima, and then we can see how things develop from there.”

Ushijima gently let go of your hands, and they dropped back down to your sides limply. He stared into your very soul as he nodded.

“I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”

His words were curt, as if he had just done a business transaction. You stared at your feet, awkwardly shifting your weight from one leg to the other.

“Thank you, though! It’s nice to know you see something in me… And it isn’t always easy confessing. I appreciate it.”

You rubbed the back of your neck with a breathy laugh. Ushijima still looked at you with an apathetic expression. Shyly, you looked away and linked your hands behind your back.

“Thank you. I’ll see you around, then.”

Ushijima bowed, his head inclined towards your smaller form. You awkwardly did the same and watched him walk away. He did not have a trace of embarrassment in his movements, and you would not have been able to tell the difference if he had just confessed his love to someone, or had just taken a piss.

You couldn’t help but watch his form disappear back into the casino, letting your eyes linger on the doors for a while longer. There was a certain air of attractiveness about Ushijima. Maybe it was his ‘cool man’ act where he was brooding and sexy?

You chuckled to yourself. Well, you had a bunch of time to figure that out.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟏


	70. Ushijima's End 1

sugacookiies

“Kuroo?”

You looked up at the male who was trying to make a card tower. His fingers trembled slightly, eyebrows knit in concentration as he balanced one card against the other

“Have you seen Ushijima around lately?”

He didn’t answer. Kuroo leaned back with a flourish, his card tower now completed.

“Kuroo, that looks amazing, bro!”

Bokuto and him high fived over the table. However, the tower quickly crumbled due to their actions, and they could only stay in dismay at the messy pile of cards left. You rolled your eyes.

“Kuroo, you ignored me.”

Only now did he turn to look at you, piqued by your whiny tone and pouty lips.

“Huh? Sorry, sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you’ve seen Ushijima around lately.”

Bokuto and him shared a nervous glance.

“Well… He kind of disappeared on his own.”

“Disappeared!? Is he okay?” You rushed, words tumbling over each other in your moment of anxiety. 

You couldn’t help but suddenly feel as if a weight was on your chest, crushing your lungs and rendering you unable to breathe properly.

“Uh, yeah, he’s fine. He just went back home to Miyagi,” Kuroo continued slowly. 

You visibly slumped back into your seat and snatched up your drink. Mindless thoughts flitted about inside your head as you considered the possibilities for Ushijima’s actions. The seat next to you suddenly felt strangely empty.

Gulping back whatever that was in your cup, you exhaled with a heavy sigh. What had you been expecting? Some sort of fairytale story with him? Dream on. 

“How about some blackjack?” you suggested, eager to forget what had been and what that could have been. 

The rest seemed pretty agreeable to the game, and the cards were distributed. You stared down at your hand.

The king of hearts, and…

You stared at the painted face, getting lost in the curves of whiskers and sparkles of a golden crown. The weight on your chest grew and you felt regret fill your mouth.

If only you hadn’t lost him so quickly, then maybe things would have worked out quite differently. 

“I busted.”

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	71. Ushijima's Choice 2

“Eh, what do you mean you did that, Ushijima!?” Tendou screeched as he widened his eyes in shock, making his crazed appearance look even wilder. 

You cringed away. As usual, Tendou was in the back room, stealing alcohol from the decanter on the shelf. Kuroo seemed to have given up trying to chase him away.

“I said I confessed, Tendou.”

You sighed, burying your face in your hands.

“Really? You guys couldn’t have had this talk at home?” You groaned in exasperation.

In a like minded manner, Kuroo rolled his eyes.

“Why were you so fast, Waka? Didn’t I tell you to think it over?”

Tendou threw his arms up in despair, his drink spilling onto the ground in the process. He seemed to not care for Kuroo’s death stare as he wandered up to Ushijima and slung himself across Oikawa’s empty chair.

“I did. I thought it over the night before,” he said simply in response. 

This was getting too… Strange for you to comprehend. Did these two have no filter at all?

“You guys know that I’m here, right? Like, I can hear your entire conversation?”

“Well, of course. Otherwise, how are we going to be friends? That’s how friendship works, right?”

You gazed at Ushijima in newfound awe. Well, he was being a little blunt. But you supposed that that wasn’t too bad as of yet. He was a little right, after all.

“I guess. Yeah, Ushijima. Carry on.”

Waving him away, you laughed a little to yourself. What an absurd pair. You listened to their chatter, sipping your drink every now and then, or sharing an annoyed look with Kuroo. Soon, however, the room was soon filled with the rest of the men, and the games commenced.

ヾ☆*。

It had been a comfortable couple of days since you started coming to the casino, and you definitely were more at ease with everyone. Conversation flowed, and you even had a couple of inside jokes (particularly with Daichi, though it seemed no one else found them funny).

Concerning Ushijima and his sudden confession, he was actually a lot nicer than you had let on. He didn’t bother you about ‘friendzoning’ him, and actually seemed to be trying his very best at being a nice friend. He bought you drinks, chatted with you about dinner, and all the miscellaneous things life had. Sometimes you would see Tendou nodding in approval.

“Ushi? Are you ready to go?”

It had become routine for you and Ushijima to go out for a quick supper snack after your casino fun (and yes, you called him Ushi). Occasionally, the others would tag along too. 

You swung your drawstring bag in time with your steps as Ushijima, Tendou and you walked towards the car that was about to drive you somewhere. 

“What are we having today?”

“Hmm… How about Washijo’s diner? I want to have his tamagoyaki!” Tendou suggested. 

It was a spot the three of you frequented often, and it was fun to interact with the hot tempered old man as well. The car pulled away, and Tendou turned back to face the front in his seat next to Shirabu, the driver. He had some odd bangs. Was that a new haircut that was in nowadays? You wondered what Kuroo would look like if he had Shirabu’s bangs.

Ushijima sat in his seat, back straight and fingers laced together in his lap. He glanced over at you and you looked back, a smile on your face. You tilted your head slightly in question, expecting him to talk to you.

“Ushi? You okay?”

He nodded, opening his mouth a little, before shutting it once more. How unlike him. You left the matter alone.

Once you reached the diner, you were ushered in and plopped yourself down at a seat. You were cramped between Tendou and Ushijima, which was an experience, to say the least. Tendou’s elbows kept jabbing your sides, while Ushijima’s legs squished your body at a weird angle towards Tendou. Some other eccentric people were there as well: a lady who was drunk and belting some song lyrics, and a man who seemed to be wearing a scary pig shirt.

“Tamagoyaki please!” Tendou chirped. 

You ordered some gyoza, while Ushijima had some hot sake. You sat in silence as Tendou sang along with the drunk lady, doing little dance moves and elbowing your ribs repeatedly in the process. 

“Ushijima, are you never going to tell the truth?” Washijo chided as he served your orders.

Tendou eagerly took a break from singing to grab some chopsticks and dive into his eggs.

Truth?

You looked up at Ushijima, who swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“I am going to. Soon,” he said, before reaching down to pour himself a cup of sake. 

Your eyes followed his hands.

“Ushi, is there something you’re hiding from me? Something I should know?” You asked softly, once Washijo had disappeared back into the kitchen. 

Ushijima was visibly tense as he tapped a finger on the side of his cup. A thick, golden ring with an eagle insignia sat on his thumb. You had always wondered what it meant, and now, you had an inkling that it had something to do with this ‘truth’.

Ushijima paused.

“I am the head of the yakuza group, Shiratorizawa.”

His eyes were trained on yours, taking note of any possible change in expression. Next to you, Tendou had slowed his eating, and stared at the back of your head.

“Despite all the dangers that you might face, I want you to be with me. Do you want to?”

You let the words sink into your bones as you try to process their meanings. Yakuza? Did that mean that everyone else in the special room was… Part of the yakuza too? What if they got caught? What if you got caught?

“I’m sorry for being selfish, but I need to know whether the effort I invest in us is worth it in the long run.”

Your fingers unconsciously curled up as you stared at your thighs. What kind of question was that? How did he expect you to make a decision right now? Ushijima was a nice man, but were you willing to risk so much for him?

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟐

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟑


	72. You Accept His Offer

Your eyes trained in on the ring once more, as your heart threatened to leap from your throat. Maybe it was the crazy things you had been dabbling in lately that had pumped you full of liquid courage, coursing through your veins with each pulse of your heart.

“I would like to be with you too, Ushi. Though, let’s give me some time to get used to things, okay?”

Reaching over, you placed your hand gently over Ushijima’s. Although he did not seem to be outwardly relieved, you heard him let out a pent out breath he had been holding in. His larger hand turned to hold yours. Lifting your knuckles to his lips, he brushed his lips against them.

“Thank you.”

His deep voice reverberated through your very core. You felt blood rush to your cheeks, and you pulled your hand away from his quickly, especially as Tendou began to fidget uncomfortably next to the two of you.

You turned back to your gyoza (which were already half cold, but you didn’t mind), and started to eat them cheerfully. The diner seemed to not notice your little exchange with Ushijima. You watched as the drunk lady began to try and serenade Washijo with an old love song, the beer nearly spilling out of her glass as she danced around.

Hearty laughter and Washijo’s scolds filled the diner. You felt at ease as you sat there, chuckling along and holding Ushijima’s hand in yours. The night wore on to morning as the sun began to peek through the bamboo doors of the diner. Most of the patrons began to depart. You were no different as you stepped outside, squinting your eyes at the bright light.

“I will come and pick you up this afternoon so that I can show you around the headquarters,” Ushijima said as he got into the car once more. 

Tendou had to nudge Shirabu awake - he was sleeping, and drooled all over the steering wheel. You nodded with a small smile on your face.

“I’ll be waiting.”

You slept the rest of the day away. As you were eating something after you had woken up, your phone pinged with a message from Ushijima, who said that he would arrive at your apartment complex in about half an hour. It gave you enough time to take a quick shower and pull together a simple outfit. Satisfied, you took one more glance at your reflection in the mirror before heading downstairs. The car was waiting for you.

Tendou was joking around about how scary everyone at HQ was. To be honest, it frightened you a little. One might have even called you crazy for agreeing to accompany a yakuza boss to his centre of activity without as little as a text to a friend to let you know where you were going. But as Kuroo’s friend, how bad could things turn out to be. Talking about him, was he a yakuza too?

You ignored the thought for now. The ride was rather short, and the car pulled up beside a nondescript house that was in a decent neighbourhood. It seemed like any regular home that a wealthy family would own. Though, the walls were high and no one would have been able to catch a glimpse of what was inside. You stepped past the gate as it slid open, marvelling in wonder at the carefully kept Japanese front garden. Ushijima strode alongside you.

“Ushi, did you design this all yourself?”

He nodded, watching you look around excitedly. He felt a little proud.

The interior of the house was as you had expected - a regular family home, though some strange men lurked about. They all scurried away as Ushijima and Tendou walked in. Some of the older looking ones greeted the pair with a serious bow, but no one really paid much attention to you. You were relieved at that.

Ushijima walked towards a niche in the wall that held a Japanese scroll and a vase of flowers. You curiously peeked at the flowers, but he turned the vase and the wall swung open. You couldn’t help but gasp in surprise - it was like a real life spy movie, and you followed after Ushijima. Tendou was humming a strange tune as you descended the stairs. You wondered what kind of yakuza like crimes Ushijima pulled.

Here, things seemed much more relaxed, and some of the members even waved hello to you. Ushijima didn’t stop walking. At most, he nodded at those that acknowledged his presence. What seemed like the basement of the house was a corridor that branched off into different rooms. 

At the very end was a wooden door, and a gray haired male with dyed tips and another man with a bowl cut stood on either side of the door.

“Welcome back.”

The not-ugly-bowl-cut man smiled, opening the door for Ushijima.

“Semi, is that-!”

“Shut up. Do you want your fingers cut off?”

You awkwardly walked past the two of them to enter what seemed like a study room

“Tendou, outside.”

The red haired male stopped at the door as Ushijima hung up his suit jacket, not bothering to look over at him. There was a pause.

“Yes, sir,” he murmured. 

The door clicked shut behind you. Ushiijima settled into a leather swivel chair behind a mahogany desk, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. You gulped as you peeked at his thick forearms and veins.

“Why don’t you sit down?”

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟒


	73. You Reject His Offer

“…I’m sorry.”

You squeezed your hands into fists, a pit of dread opening up in your stomach. You felt Ushijima staring down at you, and he made no attempt to do anything else. Guilt started to creep its way up your throat, and you didn’t feel very much hungry for the food in front of you now.

“I see. Thank you for your friendship thus far.”

His curtness only rubbed salt into your wounds. Couldn’t he have been a little nicer? A little less blunt? Had he never learnt how to sugarcoat things, or even tell a white lie? Ushijima’s thoughtlessness made hot tears begin to pool in your eyes.

Why were you crying? What sin had he done, that damned you to mourn over losing him?

“I’m sorry, Ushijima,” you said once more, your voice now choked. 

The diner fell silent as you got up, grabbed your things and raced outside. No one came out to chase you. You ran past the car that had driven you here, feet carrying you wherever they wished.

Your chest heaved as you gasped for air, leaning against a random lamppost. The sun had just begun to rise. You had no idea where you were as you propped yourself up and tried to wipe the sweat that dribbled down your forehead.

This was a good decision. 

You tried to justify leaving Ushijima behind and a future that held untold mysteries and your fears of instability. You wouldn’t get into trouble with the police. It was all for the better, really. 

But why wouldn’t your tears stop?

You stood there on the empty street, crying into your palms as night slipped away, and morning silently took its place.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟎


	74. Ushijima's Choice 3

Apparently, all Ushijima wanted you at headquarters for was to use you to the best advantage of the group. He had said something about your analytical skills during poker games, and wished for you to do the same, except profit more from it this time.

Grumbling a little, you shoved your hands in your pockets. It wasn’t like you didn’t enjoy spending time with Ushijima. He was companionable, at least, and you didn’t have any other better way to spend your time. Today was no different, as you took a short walk down to the headquarters.

You were used to getting there by yourself now. You needed the exercise, you had insisted, despite Ushijima offering to chauffeur you to and fro. Stretching your legs with a walk every day was good enough, and kept you sane. 

There was a convenience store along your commute and you slowed to a halt as you paused outside of the shop. Should you get something? The weather was dreadfully hot today, and if you didn’t buy anything, you could at least take advantage of the air conditioning to cool down for a bit.

Against your better judgement, you stepped into the store, an electronic voice greeting you as the glass doors slid close. Numerous snacks and drinks filled the shelves, and cool air hit your sticky skin pleasantly. Taking a quick walk through the empty aisles, you looked at some things that were on sale.

Should you get Ushijima something? You were debating between a two for one drink deal, where you could save one for yourself, or a chocolate bar that had an enticing octopus design on it. The red colours reminded you of Tendou’s wild hair.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟓

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟔


	75. You Choose The Drinks

Well, you could save some money if you got the drinks. Holding the two plastic bottles in hand, you went to pay up. The cold and refreshing juice was a welcome relief to the sweltering heat outside. You were grateful for it as you chugged it on the rest of your walk to the house.

Once there, you rang the doorbell, smiling at the little camera hidden beside it. The side gate swung open without resistance and you walked down the familiar hallways, your shoes having been exchanged for indoor slippers. 

Some of the men here recognised you already - as Ushijima’s new assistant. They often gave you a nod or grunt, while the newer recruits would excitedly wave or even ask how your day was. It wasn’t very yakuza like, but you enjoyed the nice change of pace. 

Semi and Goshiki (you had learnt their names now) were guarding Ushijima’s study as usual. You flashed both of them a smile. Semi nodded back, while Goshiki began to blush wildly. He was kind of an airhead, childish, but sure of his goals. You pushed the door open.

Ushijima sat in his chair, a scattered array of papers out in front of him. A hand was messily threaded through his olive hair while a cigarette was lazily burning between his fingers in his other. It was kind of hot, and you weren’t talking about the weather.

“Ushi? You okay?”

You asked as you moved over, placing the drink bottle in front of him. He glanced up briefly and lifted the cigarette to his lips. Taking a long drawl, he let out the smoke with a heavy sigh and squeezed his eyes shut. You wafted the smoke away with your hand.

“Tendou beat up one of the construction supervisors and I have to deal with that. I told him not to get into any more fights, but he insisted this one was justified.”

His tired voice stung you with pity. Ushijima was rarely overworked. He knew how to handle his priorities, so for something to affect him so much, you knew that it had to be serious. You balanced yourself on the edge of his table.

“Why don’t you take a break? I’m sure you can spare 5 minutes.”

Taking the cigarette from his hand, you extinguished it in the ashtray.

“And no more smoking. It’s bad for you.”

You sounded as if you were chiding a small child. Ushijima took the juice that you had bought and took a small sip. He rested his head on his arms, bracing his weight over the table. You gently reached out and touched his cheek with the tips of your fingers. 

Ushijima’s eyes fluttered shut. He didn’t move away from you. Your fingers crept into his dark hair, pushing it back from his face as you observed his sculpted features. The both of you stayed like that for a while more, letting the lingering smoke in the air fill the silence.

He looked strangely peaceful as he dozed off.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟕


	76. You Choose The Chocolate

When was the last time you had eaten chocolate? Paying up for the two bars, you savoured the sweetness on your walk over to the headquarters leisurely.

Once there, you rang the doorbell, smiling at the little camera hidden beside it. The side gate swung open without resistance and you walked down the familiar hallways, your shoes having been exchanged for indoor slippers. 

Some of the men here recognised you already - as Ushijima’s new assistant. They often gave you a nod or grunt, while the newer recruits would excitedly wave or even ask how your day was. Not very yakuza like, but you enjoyed the nice change of pace. 

Semi and Goshiki (you had learnt their names now) were guarding Ushijima’s study as usual. You flashed both of them a smile. Semi nodded back, while Goshiki began to blush wildly. He was kind of an airhead, childish, but sure of his goals. You pushed the door open.

Ushijima sat in his chair, a scattered array of papers out in front of him. A hand was messily threaded through his olive hair while a cigarette was laily burning between his fingers in his other. It was kind of hot, and you weren’t talking about the weather.

“Ushi? You okay?”

You asked as you moved over, placing the chocolate in front of him. He glanced up briefly and lifted the cigarette to his lips. Taking a long drawl, he let out the smoke with a heavy sigh and squeezed his eyes shut. You wafted the smoke away with your hand.

“Tendou beat up one of the construction supervisors and I have to deal with that. I told him not to get into any more fights, but he insisted this one was justified.”

His tired voice stung you with pity. Ushijima was barrel overworked. He knew how to handle his priorities, so for something to affect him so much, you knew that it had to be serious. You balanced yourself on the edge of his table.

“Why don’t you take a break? I’m sure you can spare 5 minutes.”

Taking the cigarette from his hand, you extinguished it in the ashtray.

“And no more smoking. It’s bad for you.”

You sounded as if you were chiding a small child. Ushijima took the chocolate bar you had bought for him. It had melted under the heat, and was limp in his hand as he put it back down on the table. He rested his head on his arms, bracing his weight over the table. You gently reached out and touched his cheek with the tips of your fingers. 

Ushijima’s eyes fluttered shut. He didn’t move away from you. Your fingers crept into his dark hair, pushing it back from his face as you observed his sculpted features. The both of you stayed like that for a while more, letting the lingering smoke in the air fill the silence.

He looked strangely peaceful as he dozed off.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟕


	77. Ushijima's Choice 4

The day wore on as usual, though the both of you had opted to give the casino a miss. You wanted to help Ushijima work out the kinks in his work due to Tendou’s misbehaviour. As a punishment, he had been ordered to home quarantine for a week, and was not allowed over to HQ. Semi took over his role as Ushijima’s secretary.

Not that Semi had much of a job, anyways, since you were practically his new assistant as well. So, you spent the rest of the day shuffling through insurance claims and elbows deep in old files that made you dizzy with the small print all over them. What were they even for, anyways?

Karasuno, Nekoma, Seijoh, Fukurodani… You flipped through the names boredly. You had been tasked to find some documents pertaining to a company called ‘Date Tech’, but you weren’t able to do so. 

“Ushi, I can’t find any,” you said from your spot on the floor. 

Odd stacks of papers were piled up all around you, and Ushijima was scribbling away at something on his desk. When he said that he wanted to cultivate your ‘talent’, you had expected something more… yakuza like or even some sort of analytical work, not sorting through files.

“Once you clean up you can leave,” he mumbled from where he was seated. 

Ushijima looked up for a brief moment, before returning to his papers. You grumbled to yourself and began to shove the papers into the boxes where you had found them. It took you a while to get them back in order, but eventually you were done. Standing up, you stretched, before letting your arms fall back down with a contented sigh.

“I’m heading home now, Ushi. Don’t stay up too late.”

You searched for your bag on the coat rack near the door.

“See you tomorrow. Thank you for your work today.”

Waving goodbye once more, you walked out of the house while bidding your farewells to the other members. It was pitch dark outside. Shouldering your bag, you began to walk back home quickly. The night carried a chilly air with it. 

You felt a pair of eyes on you as you hurried along. You didn’t dare look back, and your fingers clutched your bag even tighter. Why was nighttime so frightening? You cursed the dark sky and turned your head to see if anyone was behind you. Bad idea.

No screams left your open mouth as you felt a blunt object collide with the side of your head. You tumbled to the ground, and your eyes fluttered shut before you could even register what was happening to you

You woke up to a dimly lit room and a throbbing pain in your head. Where were you? The flickering bulb above your head only made things more eerie. As your vision started to clear, you found yourself looking at a blurry image of a man shaped blob.

“…Huh?” you managed to mumble out. 

You tried to move. Nothing happened. Zip ties dug into your skin as you attempted to work your limbs free, only cutting your flesh deeper into the material and making you groan.

“I wonder what made Ushijima take ya in. I wonder if he has a thing for toying around with people nowadays, huh?”

“Shut up, ‘Tsumu. Let the boss talk.”

Two voices argued in the background and it only made your head ache more. You blinked yourself back to full consciousness and stared at the room you were in. Well, it wasn’t much of a room, but rather four concrete walls that enclosed you with a single door on one of them.

“I want to know if Ushijima has been dealing with anyone recently.” 

There was the quiet click of shoes against the similarly bare concrete floor from behind you. A vague waft of expensive cologne filled your nose, and the slim male came to a stop in front of you. His hair was like Semi’s, and his gaze piercing as he stared down at you.

“Who are you? What do you want with me?” you choked out, twisting your neck around to see if anyone else was in the room. 

Your heart strained against your chest, and you felt numb. Panic raced through you as you realised the compromising position you were in. Was this some yakuza business you had gotten yourself into?

“I asked you a question, and I expect there to be an answer. I don’t like waiting.”

His cold voice reached your ears once more.

“I want to know if Ushijima has been dealing with anyone recently.”

“I-I don’t know, please- Ah!” You cried out in pain as someone put you in a headlock from behind and began to grind their fist into your jaw. 

The ache of their knuckle digging into your bone was amplified by your pounding head.

“Come on, sweet cheeks. I know yer not one to snitch, but give us something, hm?”

“Please, please, I really don’t know anything!” You whimpered the best that you could against the pain. 

There was a growl as the fist left your jaw, and you were momentarily free. You gasped once more as fingers dug into your hair and yanked your head back. Your neck arched painfully as you stared into golden eyes.

“Then tell me why ya walked out of his headquarters, huh? Like some kind of hired-”

“Tsumu, stop it,” another voice mumbled and ‘Tsumu’ turned around, snarling at the person behind him. 

You bit on your lower lip, tears filling your eyes as you were frozen with fear. Where was Ushijima? Was he coming to save you? You couldn’t help but feel hopelessness envelope you and consume you whole.

“Screw off, you rat headed ballsack.”

“There’s no such thing.”

You seemed to have been forgotten in the middle of their bickering, and Tsumu’s grip fell from your hair. You were quick to release your aching neck from its uncomfortable position. Looking back forward, however, you were met with a steely cold gaze of the Semi look-alike.

“Tsumu, Samu. How many times have I told ya not to interfere with my interrogations?”

The room suddenly fell deathly quiet. You swallowed, though your throat was parched dry.

“I’m going to ask ya one last time. Who is Ushijima Wakatoshi, leader of Shiratorizawa, dealing with?”

The male’s face neared yours, so close in fact, that you had to lean back to avoid touching his face with your own. Your heart threatened to burst out of your chest with how quickly it was thumping. Your vision was swimming, and you couldn’t think straight. What were you supposed to do?

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐢𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟖

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟕𝟗


	78. You Lie

“J-johzenji! Please, that’s all I know, please let me go now,” your sobs wracked your body with shudders. 

You were so strangely afraid of being in this scenario. Was it the helplessness you felt? Was it the fear of possibly dying? You thought of Ushijima for a brief moment, and you thought of how this was all because of him.

If only you hadn’t gotten involved with him in the first place.

If only you had said no to him at the diner.

Then this would not have happened. 

You wouldn’t be sitting in a dingy room, fearing for your life from your supposed kidnappers. You sniffed, salty tears leaking into the corners of your lips. The man sighed.

“That’s not a wise answer. Samu?”

You stiffened in response as one of the men from behind walked over to the front. He had gray hair parted to the left, and similarly coloured eyes. He seemed to be Tsumu’s twin. His sleeves were rolled up and his fingers clenched themselves into a fist. Samu’s hand collided with your cheek and your face was thrown off to the side by the impact.

Blood filled your mouth as you bit down on your tongue. You gasped in pain, the red liquid seeping out from the side of your lip. 

“Yer form’s getting shabby,” Tsumu remarked from behind. 

Samu didn’t reply as he threw another punch, this one hitting you squarely on the same spot as before. Your head spun and your vision was blurry. Your head lolled over to the side as you tried to blink away the stars that danced before your eyes.

“Did you hit too hard? Knocked them out cold?” Tsumu taunted once more. 

There was silence as the trio awaited your awakening. It took you a minute before your neck seemed able to bear the weight of your head once more.

“I’m going to give ya one last chance. Who. Is. Ushijima. Dealing. With?”

The words were forced out between his teeth as the still unnamed male crossed his arms, fingers tapping his forearm dangerously. You were still reeling from the punches and you took a second to come to your senses. You recalled seeing a familiar name from the documents that you had been going through earlier.

“Kara… Karasuno…” you managed to wheeze out between more involuntary tears that fell from your eyes, a reflex from the pain. 

You heard a sigh of disappointment. Your heart leapt for a second. Were they going to leave you alone?

“This isn’t it, Tsumu. I thought ya had someone who actually knew intel.”

“I swear I did! I don’t know why this one isn’t saying shit, though,” Tsumu grumbled and you heard a drawn out groan from his throat.

“Well, take the trash out then.”

The words struck you and words began to fall from your lips helplessly.

“Wait- No! I’ll tell you, please, please! Let me go! I promise!”

“Yer just a rat who’d rather live. Where’s ya loyalty?”

Your hollow pleas stopped as a final tear dripped down your chin. Tsumu walked over to the front, and the three of them stared at you. You felt as if you were looking at the final bosses in a game which you had failed to defeat. Their stares were condescending, making you shrink back.

“Samu?”

The gray haired male opened his palm, in which a simple pistol was placed. You couldn’t even form words as the muzzle was wrenched between your teeth, the taste of cold metal on your tongue unpleasant. You squeezed your eyes shut and braced for the pain. 

You thought of Ushijima one last time. The serene look on his face as you stroked his hair, and how he always blinked a few times in confusion when he got a bad hand in a poker game.

Ushijima.

The trigger was pulled. You felt a momentary sting in the back of your head as it was thrown back from the recoil, and your teeth grated against the metal briefly. Just before everything turned dark.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	79. You Keep Quiet

You kept your lips screwed shut as you stared the male in his eyes. His face was just as expressionless as Ushijima’s - you were only intimidated by the fact that he was likely to kill you right now.

“That’s not a wise answer. Samu?”

You stiffened in response as one of the men from behind walked over to the front. He had gray hair parted to the left, and similarly coloured eyes. His sleeves were rolled up and his fingers clenched themselves into a fist. Samu’s hand collided with your cheek and your face was thrown off to the side by the impact.

Blood filled your mouth as you bit down on your tongue. You gasped in pain, the red liquid seeping out from the side of your lip. 

“Yer form’s getting shabby,” Tsumu remarked from behind. 

Samu didn’t reply as he threw another punch, this one hitting you squarely on the same spot as before. Your head spun and your vision was blurry. Your head lolled over to the side as you tried to blink away the stars that danced before your eyes.

“Did you hit too hard? Knocked them out cold?” Tsumu taunted once more. 

There was silence as the trio awaited your awakening. It took you a minute before your neck seemed able to bear the weight of your head once more.

“I’m going to give ya another chance. Who. Is. Ushijima. Dealing. With?”

The words were forced out between his teeth as the still unnamed male crossed his arms, fingers tapping his forearm dangerously. You were still reeling from the punches and you took a second to come to your senses. Still, you refused to say anything. 

If you were going to die, then you were going to make your death worthy by not being a snitch. Your eyes burned with tears from being hit so many times, and you coughed out some blood that had pooled in your mouth. 

The men in front of you seemed to have some sort of twisted pleasure in seeing you defy them.

“Let’s go for today.”

The twins gaped at the other male in surprise.

“Huh? So early?”

“Really?”

You licked your parched lips, the cracked skin a strange texture to your tongue.

“A loyal dog should be rewarded every once in a while. Come, now.”

He turned around and opened the door. Samu gave you one last look before he disappeared behind Tsumu, the door clicking shut behind him. You only relaxed once you heard the lock turn shut.

You tilted your head back, tears beginning to pour down your cheeks as you cried. You hadn’t noticed how afraid you had been just now. Your hands were trembling and you grabbed onto the chair’s armrests in an attempt to steady them.

Ushijima would come for you, right? You hadn’t been too far from HQ when you were taken. He would surely notice if you didn’t go there tomorrow. You rubbed your damp cheek against your shoulder in an attempt to dry your tears.

He would be back. 

You were sure of it.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟖𝟎


	80. Ushijima's Choice 5

How many days had it been since you were here? You smelled bad, and your joints were aching from the lack of movement you had been given. At most, it was just your fingernails digging into your palms or your head thrown back in pain.

Dried blood stained your clothes, and nasty bruises decorated your face. When was Ushijima going to come? It had been increasingly difficult to continue putting faith in the male to come and save you, especially when the ‘torture sessions’ came. Kita, or so you had learnt, had a special habit for never putting his hands on you himself. It was always either one of the twins, or a certain narrow eyed man called Suna.

You tapped your foot against the floor, rolling your head to get rid of some stiffness in your shoulders. Not that it helped much, anyways. The lock in the door began to open from the outside. You froze up from the sound of metal against metal, and your heart began to thump quickly.

When was this ever going to end?

You were surprised as Kita was the one rushing in alone. He held a lone skinning knife in one hand, and started to slice your restraints away. He hauled you to your feet and held the knife to your throat before you could even move, legs wobbly from having seated for so long.

“One wrong move, and you’re dead.”

You could feel his breath against your ear, and you nodded weakly. The scent of his cologne flooded your nose and you felt bile rise up in your throat. Squeezing your eyes shut, you flinched as he kicked the door away.

“I would suggest that you stop this right now, Kita.”

A familiar baritone rumbled from outside the room, and a menacing frame walked up to the door. You held your breath for a second. There was your saviour, in all his glory.

“Ushi,” you squeaked as the knife dug into your skin, nearly drawing blood.

You dared not move. Ushijima had his hair ruffled, and he was missing his suit jacket. He held a gun in his right hand. Despite his dishevelled appearance, he looked stupidly handsome. Stupid, because that was not what you were supposed to be focusing on in that moment.

His eyes observed your situation carefully. Ushijima’s eyes narrowed and you shivered under his gaze - you weren’t quite sure whether the piercing glare was at you, or Kita. 

“I’ll get you out of here. Don’t worry.”

Once more, his frankness was mildly endearing. Even in the life and death situation that you were in.

“Alive? Or dead?” Kita taunted. 

The blade dug deeper into your skin and you gasped at the pain. Small droplets of blood began to gather at the thin line forming on your neck. Ushijima’s grip on the gun tightened. You were standing directly in front of Kira, and it was a position where you would probably get hurt no matter what he did.

But he didn’t want to hurt you.

Your hands dug into Kita’s forearm, trying to pull the knife that bared against your flesh. Your eyes stared at Ushijima. You were scared, horribly scared. His eyes met yours one last time, and you saw him raise the gun in his hand up.

What was he doing? Was he trying to get you killed? Panic flooded you for a brief moment and your heart leapt into an abyss that knew no bottom.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟖𝟏

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐨𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟖𝟑


	81. You Shake Your Head

You couldn’t tell what Ushijima was trying to do. With how limited your choices were, you shook your head ever so slightly.

“Ushi, please, no-!”

He faltered at your response, his hands lowering the gun slightly. Kita’s breath ghosted your ear one last time.

“Thanks for leading him here.”

All that spilled from your lips was a garbled choke as the knife sliced into your gullet and windpipe, Kita’s hand flourishing at the end of the swift motion. You fell to the floor, and there was a gunshot, followed by a grunt of pain. You heard Kita tumble down behind you.

“I’m sorry- Sorry, Ushi,” you rambled as Ushijima knelt down on the ground next to you. 

He cradled your head with one hand, the other intertwining his fingers with your own.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” he whispered. 

You began to choke, coughing and spluttering blood all over his snow white sleeves and fitted pants. He didn’t care - what were clothes when he was about to lose you? Your eyelids were dropping, and your grip in his began to loosen.

“I don’t want to die,” your whimper was pregnant with terror. 

You were too young, too undeserving of death that was waiting for you impatiently. For a second, you lifted your hand to try and touch his cheek once more. Your vision was blurry as your eyes swam with tears.

“I’m sorry.”

Ushijima’s voice was a mere whisper as he let go of your other hand to press your cold palm to his tear stained cheeks. He had begun crying, while not even noticing he was doing so. Your lips trembled.. Your face was still a bloody mess, bruises staining your skin.

“Don’t go, please. Don’t.”

Ushijima screwed his eyes shut as your hand fell limp in his own, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Your vision was getting blurrier (with tears or your impending end, you didn’t know just yet). His heart was a heavy burden in his chest, filling him with all sorts of regret and guilt. Ushijima opened his eyes to see your very own staring up at him - cold, dead, and glazed over.

And he wept.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟖𝟐


	82. Ushijima's End 2

Ushijima stands in front of your gravestone. The weather is chilly, but he doesn’t care for the snow that dusts his black coat white. He stares at the name carved into the stone and the flower petals that flutter in the cold air.

Why does he come back here, despite knowing that you will never breathe again? 

Your body is probably just bones, lying six feet under the unmoving earth. He wonders if you’re in heaven, looking down upon him. But he can’t deny the fact that he was the one that led you to your demise.

Ushijima lets out a silent sigh - the kind that doesn’t relieve him of any tension, only entangling the messy thoughts in his brain into turmoil that is more complicated than before. Small wisps of vapour drift from his lips before disappearing into nothing.

The toe of his boot inches forward slightly, nudging the snow before it into a tiny heap. His eyes leave the gravestone for a second to glance down at his foot.

He had given you everything, and you took it all away from him. His heart, his soul, his affections and unspoken thoughts. Ushijima wonders, if he hadn’t been so caught up with work, then maybe you would be standing beside him right now. You wouldn’t have been snatched away from him.

Ushijima shoves his numb fingers deeper into his pockets. He cannot change the past, he reminds himself. How desperately he wants to claw at the hands on the invisible clock that drives all life forward! But all is futile. He does not deserve a happy ending, he thinks.

The flowers sport a thin film of snow over transparent plastic and their soft petals. How long has he been standing here? Ushijima finds it hard to tear himself away. He must move forward, however, even if his future will not have you in it.

He will remember the light disappearing from your eyes forever, he says to no one. Of you and your heart that stopped beating because of him.

He lets out another sigh. This one eases the knot in his chest a little, telling himself that he can move on. He can do it without you. Ushijima takes one last look at the gravestone and your name.

He will remember it forever, he thinks. Of you and your heart that offered him a home.

Ushijima turns around and walks away, his boots crunching the snow beneath his weight. After all, how does a man like him deserve happiness? He has done too many evil deeds to be redeemed at this point in time.

He will remember you forever, he tells himself. Of you and your heart that made him fall in love.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟒


	83. You Nod Your Head

You decided to trust Ushijima. He had come to rescue you, after you knew he would, and you had faith that whatever he was about to do had the best intentions possible. Nodding your head, you tensed and awaited your fate.

Ushijima aimed his gun and fired it into your thigh.

“Ow- What the hell!” you screamed as blood began to pour down your thigh, groaning in pain as you sunk to the floor. 

Kita stumbled back as your full weight was on him. Using the opportunity, Ushijima lunged forward and plucked you from his arms, while shoving Kita to the ground.

“I’m sorry-”

“Did you really have to shoot me!?”

“Yes,” Ushijima replied as he kept a knee on Kita’s back, preventing him from moving about. 

You spotted a head of wild red hair entering the room, and you supposed Tendou was helping Ushijima keep the other man down. You didn’t dare look at your wound.

Throwing your arm over your eyes, you let out another moan of agony. You felt a presence next to you, only to see Ushijima taking off his shirt. He wrapped the material tightly around your leg and tied the sleeves together to secure it.

“I told you I would get you out of here, alive.”

“In this manner?”

You rolled your eyes and grabbed onto his bare bicep in an attempt to distract yourself from the horrible smarting in your thigh. Your nails dug into his skin as you gasped again.

“You’re paying for my hospital fees.”

“Of course.”

Ushijima put his hand over yours and you instantly intertwined your fingers with his own. His calloused hand was warm and larger than yours, a small comfort. There was some silence, besides Kita’s grunts as Tendou was… Doing something to bind him up.

You couldn’t see very well in the dim room, but you cracked a smile at Ushijima. Despite how bruised up you were, and the dried blood that stained your face, he believed you were the most beautiful being in the entire universe even in that moment.

“I knew you would come for me, Ushi.”

“Why would I ever leave you behind?”

Your grip on him eased and you reached up to cup his cheek. He leaned into your touch.

“Can I call you Toshi?” you whispered as you stroked his cheekbone with your thumb. 

Ushijima swept your hand away and pressed your knuckles to his lips.

“Please do.”

“And, can you get me to the hospital now? I think I’m about to die.”

“I didn’t shoot your vital organs, though.”

You rolled your eyes, laughing a little.

“Toshi, please.”

“Alright.”

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟖𝟒


	84. Ushijima's End 3

“Toshi, look! The garden is so beautiful,” you sigh, gazing out adoringly at the trimmed bushes and traditional Japanese lanterns that decorate your back garden. 

There is even a small koi pond, as well as a stone bench for reading under a lovely willow tree.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it, Toshi. Thank you so much.”

You slip your hand into his and he squeezes it gently in response. There is silence, save for the quiet gurgling of the pond and the erratic chirps of some hidden birds. The sun is warm against your skin. You close your eyes, a small smile forming on your lips as you bask in the evening’s glow.

“I’m glad I can be here with you.”

You open your eyes to glance up at Ushijima as your smile only grows wider.

“And I, you,” you reply with heartfelt adoration. 

He lets go of your hand so that he can push your wheelchair over to the pond, for the both of you to observe the swimming koi. Their scales reflect the light in patches of orange, white, and black. 

The tattoos on his left arm swim down his bicep and forearm, the ink stopping short of his wrist. The fishes leap over the small boundary of your linked hands once more as they make their way up your own arm. Black and red - their fluid bodies painting a wordless story of your relationship.

You wonder if all the choices that you have made are worthy of this moment, this life that you are about to lead. Your grip on Ushijima’s hand tightens momentarily and he looks down at you in concern.

“Are you alright? Do I need to fetch your pain medication?”

His voice is gentle and his other hand rubs yours out of worry. The ring that once sat on his finger is replaced with a smaller, thinner band that matches your own. You shake your head.

“No, Toshi. I’m fine. I love you.”

You look up, your hair gently fluttering about in the wind. Ushijima leans down and presses his lips against your forehead affectionately. You feel a rush of adoration at his concern. Your cheeks warm pleasantly as a comfortable feeling settles into the pit of your stomach.

Home. That’s what it feels like. Ushijima Wakatoshi has become your rock and your home, a shoulder to cry on and a partner to love. You squeeze his hand once more.

“I love you too.”

Yes, you say to yourself, as the sun begins its slow descend and night balances on the precipice of time. Whatever you had gone through, whatever pain you had suffered, it was all worth it. 

Over the next few years, you begin to find home in some places other than Ushijima. 

You find it in your children running across the garden, chasing each other with broken branches of the willow tree, and kicking mud up into the air. You find it in the routine of upkeeping the house and tying your family’s bento up into neat packages each morning, tucking handwritten notes of encouragement or a joke under the cloth. You find it in the sun-lit evenings when Ushijima comes home and gives you a kiss atop your head, as your children rush to greet their father.

You smile.

And you smile, for all time where you are next to Ushijima.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 ] - 𝐂𝐡.𝟐𝟓


End file.
